Last time on The Amazing Race, we bid goodbye to Alli and Kym when they were the final team to reach the mat, and host, Phil Keoghan. They didn’t fall victim to Brooke’s plan for all the other teams to double U-turn the cyclists, but instead their decision to go for the Fast Forward cost them precious time that they were unable to make up. I certainly hope that Kym and Alli will be invited to participate in the next All-Star edition because they are fierce!
That leaves four teams still in The Amazing Race: newlywed surfers Bethany and Adam, food scientists Maya and Amy, dating wrestlers Robbie and Brooke and the married dentists with the pearliest whites on television, Misti and Jim. So who will take the lead in this leg of the race? Let’s find out!
Off to the Philippines
“Smells Like Dirty Tube Socks” starts off in Singapore with Bethany and Adam, who won the previous leg, getting to open the first clue. So where are the teams headed next? They are off to Manila in the Philippines. Once they land in Manila, they must get their next clue from a flower vendor. Bethany and Adam are a little nervous when they book their flight because their poor research on the previous leg caused them and the dentists to book a later flight than Kim and Alli. Misti and Jim head to the airport to book their tickets, and Jim is still a bit, well, bitter that they listened to Adam and Bethany about the flight on the previous leg of the race.
Jim and Misti are told that the flight is sold out.
At the airport, Amy and Maya confront Brooke about how she misled them on the previous leg, but Brooke pretends that she didn’t understand where they were headed. The candy scientists believe their story, while Brooke and Robbie revel in their vicious scheming. The first flight takes off with all the teams except for the dentists. That is so weird that they are the only team who missed out on that flight, once again by not doing their homework.
In Manila, Brooke and Robbie reach the spot where the flower vendor should be but there is a sign saying that they must wait until 6:30am. Since it is 11pm, they are not exactly jazzed at the prospect. Misti and Jim are elated that they are once again on equal footing with the other teams.
The Aroma of Victory?
In the morning, the clue tells teams to hop a ride on a jeepny, which is a cross between a jeep and van-type communal vehicle to Rosario Municipal Plaza where they must find Salinas Specials, and the next clue. Brooke is overcome by the pungent aroma of garbage, or as Robbie so eloquently puts it, “smells like dirty tube socks.” Alrighty!
The clue is a Detour: “Catch” or “Coach.” In Catch, teams must get into Manila Bay, and get fish in a bucket and transport the fish to a fish broker, who will give them their next clue when they have filled three large buckets. That equals about 300 pounds of fish. In Coach, teams must assemble a side car and then mount it to a motorcycle. Once it is inspected by the head mechanic, teams will receive their clue. Brooke and Robbie opt to do the fishing challenge, while the other teams decide to assemble the side car.
‘The Amazing Race’ Recap: Which Team Member is Left Dangling High Above the Ground?>>>
A Fishy Business
Brooke is already gagging before they even reach the fish stall. It is a very physical challenge, but Robbie and Brooke seem to be doing a good job. Once they hit the shore, they had to remove the fish from the bucket with their hands. Brooke gets cut on a bony fish, and Robbie is squeamish about the fish slime. I am shocked that these rough and tough wrestlers are having a hard time dealing with the fish. Hilarious!
When a scary-looking rain storm moves in, the wrestlers are struggling against even bigger waves with their bucket of fish. Instead of three trips out to the boat and net, they have to make four thanks to the conditions. Finally, they get the clue. Teams are headed to the rice fields at Naic.
Mechanical Instructions Not Included
Maya and Amy misread their clue, and head to the garage on foot, while Misti and Jim and Bethany and Adam take the motor-tricycle as the clue instructed. The scientists realize their mistake and head back to find a motor-tricycle. Jim is pretty confident about this challenge and his ability to assemble things. They finish, and he is confident that they have completed the task correctly. He is wrong, and he asks the mechanic to tell them what is wrong, but he doesn’t. When they fail again, Jim’s frustration again boils over. Bethany and Adam finish correctly and get the clue to head to the Naic rice fields. Jim finally realizes what is wrong and they get their clue. The food scientists are left behind still toiling on their side car.
SwitchBack Challenge
When Robbie and Brooke arrive at the rice field, they are shocked that they are in first place. It’s now time for The Amazing Race Switchback: “My Ox is Broken” from season 5. Teams have to choose a muddy ox pond and use an ox and plow to uncover their next clue. Brooke takes the lead on this one, and when their ox has to answer nature’s call, Robbie freaks out and becomes disgusted. Bethany and Adam choose the smallest pond to explore, while Brooke and Robbie had picked the largest one.
Soon Jim and Misti and Maya and Amy arrive and join the party. The only duo having any fun at all is Adam and Bethany, who always seem to make the best of every dirty, yucky situation. Even though their ox tries to bolt back on shore, Misti and Jim find the clue first, followed immediately by the scientists. The clue is to search on foot for Phil and the next Pit Stop. He is at a nearby rice farm.
21 and Under: Ranking TV’s 21 Best Teen Dramas of All Time>>>
The Pit Stop
Misti and Jim reach the mat first, and capture first place. It is their fifth win, and Jim wastes no time pointing that out to Phil, second place winners Maya and Amy and all of us at home. This man’s ego must need its own plane seat. As the first place team, the dentists also win a trip to Vietnam. Kudos on the trip, Jim and Misti.
Bethany and Adam and Brooke and Robbie find the clue at almost exactly the same time. It will be a real nail biter to see who makes it to the mat first.
The Last to Arrive…
Brooke and Robbie are the last team to arrive, but since it is a non-elimination leg, they still have a chance at winning The Amazing Race and the million dollar cash prize.
The Amazing Race airs Friday at 8 pm 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.
