Tonight the remaining seven teams traveled to the Eternal City to fight like gladiators, race chariots, and count a whole lot of steps. Read on to find out which team achieved redemption, which team was just plain dumb, and which team was eliminated.
Leo and Jamal won the last leg of the race after a heated footrace to the pit stop with Jet and Cord, so they’re the first team to learn their new destination. But instead of a clear location, they learn they must travel to the Eternal City. Once there, they must proceed to the Hadrian Bridge to find their next clue. Leo and Jamal are unsure which city that is as they make their way to the travel agency. Right behind them are Jet and Cord, who knew right away that the Eternal City is in fact Rome, Italy. A few other teams knew that Rome is the Eternal City, but others wait until they have access to a computer to find out first. So Rachel’s initial thought that it was Ethiopia, Africa is incorrect. In addition, we get a flashback of Brendon and Rachel’s last trip to Italy, which they claimed was their worst leg on their past season of the race. Remember Rachel’s “The Amazing Race is supposed to be fun and good!” meltdown? So how will they fare this time?
All the teams book the same direct flight from Colombo, Sri Lanka to Rome, Italy. But that equalizer is cut short as soon as the plane lands. Brendon and Rachel, John and Jessica, Caroline and Jennifer, and Leo and Jamal board a shuttle first and convince the driver to leave early. They get a ten minute lead over Dave and Connor, Jet and Cord, and Flight Time and Big Easy, who all have to board the second shuttle.
John and Jessica are the first team to reach the clue box. They learn they have a Detour to complete: “Gladiator” or “Charioteer?” “Gladiator” requires teams to learn a specific series of maneuvers as they duel a Gladiator. “Charioteer” requires teams to use remote controls (one team member controls speed, while the other maneuvers) to race a toy racecar in the model of a chariot around a lap five times before a flame goes out. John and Jessica decide to do some pretend sword fighting, while every other team chooses to race toy chariots.
However, Caroline and Jennifer must complete a Speed Bump before they can attempt the Detour of their choosing. They must go to the Pantheon and find a building that resembles a typewriter. Once they deliver the typewriter, they can continue on in the race. I have to say that this Speed Bump was pretty time-consuming compared to others in the show’s history. I supposed they decided to up the ante since this is an all-star edition? Anyway, Caroline and Jennifer manage to complete the Speed Bump without any trouble, but are still somewhat behind by the time they get to the chariots.
But first, Brendon and Rachel are the first team to arrive at the Charioteer Detour. Before they can successfully complete the task, Leo and Jamal, Dave and Connor, Jet and Cord, and Flight Time and Big Easy show up at the Detour one after another. With so many people racing at once, there are numerous collisions with so many toy chariots on the track. At one point, Dave and Connor were about to finish the task successfully, but Rachel slammed hers and Brendon’s chariot into theirs at the last second. After a while, Leo and Jamal give up and decide to switch to the other Detour. Rachel suggests switching Detours too, but Brendon wants to stay.
Meanwhile, John and Jessica are having problems at the Gladiator Detour. And the reason for their problems is John. Jessica is able to do each step of the routine correctly, but John uses his shield too early. When he makes an error, the gladiator they’re dueling with shoves him away and tells him to “go home.” But after John finally gets the routine right, he and Jessica complete the Detour and are currently in first place. They get their clue and learn they must proceed to Piazza di Spagna. However, their taxi driver insists that there is no plaza and that the only place with a name similar to that is a street. What John and Jessica don’t know is that the clue referencing John Keats is really telling them to go to the Spanish Steps, not a street with John Keats’s name. This confusion also affects some other teams.
Back at the chariots, Brendon and Rachel are the first team to complete it in time and are in second place when they make their way to the Spanish Steps. And right behind them are Dave and Connor and Jet and Cord, who finish the Detour simultaneously. While Flight Time and Big Easy are still working on the Detour, Caroline and Jessica arrive at the chariots. But soon afterwards, Flight Time and Big Easy complete the Detour, leaving the country singers behind. However, unbeknownst to them, Leo and Jamal are having difficulty with the Gladiator Detour. Just like John, the two cousins are unable to remember the specific maneuvers correctly. Caroline and Jennifer even complete chariot racing before Leo and Jamal have successfully mastered the dueling maneuvers against the gladiator.
Brendon and Rachel are the first team to arrive at the Spanish Steps and learn they have a Roadblock to complete: “Step Up and Be Counted.” The task requires a team member to count the number of steps and add that number to the year the obelisk at the top of the Spanish Steps was erected. In addition, they must write their total in Roman numeral form and present it to a happy couple sitting on a moped to receive their next clue. Brendon goes to learn the actual year first before he counts the steps, and he even meets a man who assists him with understanding how to read and write Roman numerals.
Meanwhile, Dave and Connor and Caroline and Jennifer have figured out that the clue is telling them to proceed to the Spanish Steps. However, Jet and Cord, Flight Time and Big Easy, and Leo and Jamal (who have finally been able to correctly fight with the gladiator) have the same issues as John and Jessica. John and Jessica’s taxi driver even takes them to an apartment complex instead. And foolishly, they abandon their taxi to go look for a hotel for internet access. But they’re not out of the race yet since the cowboys, Globetrotters, and Afghanimals are just as lost as they are.
Back at the Spanish Steps, Dave and Connor arrive. They spot Rachel and ask her where the clue box is. In response, Rachel vaguely points in the direction of the clue box and refuses to tell them where it is. I don’t blame her for this at all since it is, after all, a race. Dave and Connor find the clue box and Dave does the Roadblock. When asked why she didn’t give them specific instructions, Rachel point blank tells them that she can’t hold their hands for them in the race. And shortly afterwards, Brendon successfully completes the Roadblock. He and Rachel race to the Pit Stop – Piazza del Popolo – and are Team #1! They cheer as Phil tells them that they have won a trip for two to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Congrats to Brendon and Rachel! After struggling to stay alive the past few legs, it’s nice to see them finally win another leg in the race.
Caroline and Jennifer arrive at the Spanish Steps. Jennifer does the Roadblock and works with Dave to complete the task correctly. They finish together, and even arrive at the Pit Stop together. Dave even allows them to step onto the mat before them, making Caroline and Jennifer Team #2 and Dave and Connor Team #3. Jet and Cord arrived at the Spanish Steps just as Caroline and Jennifer and Dave and Connor were leaving. Jet also gets help from a local (or maybe she was a tourist?), and he successfully completes the Roadblock, making him and Cord Team #4 when they check-in at the Pit Stop.
After wasting a lot of time due to confusion, the last three teams finally figure out that they need to go to the Spanish Steps. Flight Time and Big Easy arrive there first, and Flight Time is absolutely embarrassing on this task. Since this is his third time on the race, he should know to read his clue thoroughly. Instead of actually working on the task at hand, he simply asks the people around him how many steps there are. He writes whatever number someone tells him on the postcard (and not in Roman numeral form) and presents it to the happy couple on the moped. And he is wrong – several times too. How could he be so dumb? It is just an absolutely pathetic showing from him.
But what is just as pathetic is what happens next. Leo and Jamal and John and Jessica arrive at the Spanish Steps after Flight Time has already spent a good amount of time making a fool out of himself. Jamal does the task and is the first out of him, John, and Flight Time to complete it. Jessica asks for the answer, which the Globetrotters overhear. They want the answer too. After making John and Jessica and Flight Time and Big Easy swear that they won’t U-Turn them, Jamal gives them the answer. So instead of John and Flight Time doing the task themselves, they had to resort to copying the answer from Jamal. John probably would’ve figured the answer out eventually, but Flight Time was nowhere close to solving it – he didn’t even write his answer in Roman numerals! However, I can’t blame them too much for taking the answer when Leo and Jamal were so willing to give it away. But it was still very pathetic of them to do so.
Anyway, Leo and Jamal make their way to the Pit Stop while John and Flight Time rush to present their copied answers to the happy couple on the moped. And it is a footrace to the Pit Stop between them, which is won by the Globetrotters. The three final teams assumed that Caroline and Jennifer still had a Speed Bump to complete, but they learn from Phil that they were in fact the last three teams, and John and Jessica have been eliminated from the race.
Overall, I thought this was an excellent episode. I enjoyed seeing the teams race around Rome, especially since I vacationed there a few times before. As well, it was nice to see Brendon and Rachel redeem themselves and prove that they can finish a leg in first place again. It was also impressive how Caroline and Jennifer managed to go from last place to second place (even with a Speed Bump to complete). Dave and Connor and Jet and Cord are still consistently strong. Leo and Jamal were a very strong team the last few legs, but they struggled a bit today. They were lucky that John and Jessica had really bad luck today and that the Globetrotters are just so asinine. I still can’t believe how ridiculously dim-witted Flight Time was during that Roadblock. That was just embarrassing. If Jamal didn’t give away the answer, I’m sure the Globetrotters would’ve been eliminated this leg of the race.
Episode Summary:
1st place: Brendon and Rachel (Won a trip to Australia)
2nd place: Caroline and Jennifer
3rd place: Dave and Connor
4th place: Jet and Cord
5th place: Leo and Jamal
6th place: Flight Time and Big Easy
7th place: John and Jessica (Eliminated)
Thanks for reading, and join me next week for another recap of The Amazing Race: All-Stars!
