Tonight is the season premiere of The Amazing Race 27! Read a live recap and join the discussion here.
The Amazing Race is back! Tonight we will meet the eleven new teams that will race around the world for $1 million. It’s sure to be an exciting season as the teams will race across ten countries and five continents while competing in tough challenges and dealing with a great amount of stress. How will the new teams fare this time? Let the season begin!
The episode begins with us meeting some of the teams. Justin and Diana are an engaged couple. Justin created a viral video marriage proposal of a fake Amazing Race. Tanner and Josh are best friends from Texas who plan to flirt with the girls to get ahead. Alex and Adam are cousins who are shorter than most, but won’t let it hold them back. Cindy and Rick are doctors and are confident their intelligence and athleticism will give them an edge. Denise and James Earl are mother and son who had a bit of a falling out after he came out to her. Jazmine and Danielle are best friends who are track athletes. Logan and Chris are dating paparazzi. Tiffany and Krista are cheerleaders, but are smarter than most think.
Phil announces to the teams where they’re going: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil! However, there is only one spot for the first flight out. The second flight leaves a half hour later. As well, the winning team of the first leg will win the Express Pass.
The race begins! They all get into taxis while we meet some of the other teams. Kelsey and Joey are dating news anchors. Kelly and Shevonne work for TMZ. Ernest and Jin are dancers and living out of their cars. After the taxi takes them to the harbor, they must race on water bikes to Phil. Tanner and Josh are in the lead, but fall behind as their water bike breaks.
Justin and Diana reach Phil first and are in first place. They get the spot on the first flight to Rio. Denise and Earl are in second place, and they’re followed by Kelly and Shevonne, Jazmine and Danielle, Kelsey and Joey, Cindy and Rick, Tiffany and Krista, Logan and Chris, Alex and Adam, and Ernest and Jin. Tanner and Josh are the last team to reach Phil. However, all the teams besides Justin and Diana are on the same flight. At the airport, Kelly and Shevonne poke fun at some of the other teams. They think there is a Norman Bates vibe to James Earl’s relationship with his mom, they think Tanner and Josh are typical frat bros who just fist bump all the time, and they believe Tiffany and Krista are just prissy cheerleaders who aren’t very bright.
Justin and Diana’s flight was delayed and the other teams’ flight arrived early, so they lost their lead. They reach Rio de Janeiro almost at the same time as the other teams. They find out they must make their way to the Lagoa Helipad. Justin and Diana are the first to reach the clue box and learn they have the option of going for a Fast Forward. However, it is dependent on the weather. They choose to take the risk and make their way to the Fast Forward’s location.
Cindy and Rick are the second team and they begin the next task: Take a helicopter trip around Christ the Redeemer. They will then land and have to correctly answer the question (What is the name of the monument?) to receive their next clue. Right behind them are Denise and James Earl, Tanner and Josh, Jazmine and Danielle, Logan and Chris, and Kelsey and Joey. As all the teams get ready to take their helicopter ride, Justin and Diana arrive at the Fast Forward. However, the winds are too dangerous for them to do the task. It could take hours before the winds die down, so they must go back. Justin is sobbing as he and Diana take a taxi back to the helipad.
Cindy and Rick finish the helicopter task first and are currently in first place. They learn they have a Detour to complete at Copacabana Beach: Sand or Sidewalk. Sand requires teams to play volleyball against Brazilian football players. They must score 6 points before the pros score 18 points. They also will use their hands as the pros use their feet. Sidewalk requires teams to put together a geometric slide puzzle. Cindy and Rick choose to do Sidewalk. Right behind them are Denise and James Earl who also choose to do Sidewalk. Tanner and Josh and Jazmine and Danielle are in third and fourth respectively, and they have chosen to do the Sand Detour.
Tanner and Josh are the first to finish the Detour and they are now in first place. They can now make their way to the Pit Stop: Arpoador Lookout. They decide to make their way there by foot. However, Jazmine and Danielle are the second team to complete their Detour and take a taxi to the Pit Stop. Which team will arrive there first?
Meanwhile, Denise and James Earl are the first to finish the Sidewalk Detour and are now in third place. As they make their way to the Pit Stop, Justin and Diana finally reach the clue box and begin the helicopter task. Back at the beach, Rick and Cindy are struggling with the puzzle. Cindy offers suggestions, but Rick tells her to just let him do it. He doesn’t want any help.
At the Pit Stop, Tanner and Josh greet Phil and are Team #1! They win the Express Pass. Afterwards, Jazmine and Danielle greet Phil and are Team #2.
Back at the Detours, Kelly and Shevonne are working on the Sand Detour. However, they struggle with playing volleyball, so they switch to the Sidewalk Detour. Right when they switch, Cindy and Rick finish the puzzle and are now in fourth place. However, they manage to get ahead and greet Phil as Team #3. Denise and James Earl greet Phil as Team #4.
Kelsey and Joey are now working on the Sidewalk Detour along with Kelly and Shevonne while Ernest and Jin, Alex and Adam, and Logan and Chris are playing volleyball. Logan and Chris are the first of them to finish the Sand Detour and can now make their way to the Pit Stop. Meanwhile, Tiffany and Krista arrive at Copacabana Beach where the Detours are located. However, their taxi driver makes them get out of the cab too early. They are too far away from the Detours as Logan and Chris greet Phil as Team #5.
Justin and Diana arrive at Copacabana Beach and are ecstatic to see other teams. They were convinced they were in last place. Kelsey and Joey switch to the Sand Detour as Tiffany and Krista finally arrive at the Detours too. Shortly afterwards, Alex and Adam finish the Sand Detour. They celebrate as they make their way to the Pit Stop. Ernest and Jin are surprised they finished the task before them. “Don’t underestimate the little people,” Jin says.
Tiffany and Krista decide to switch to the Sidewalk Detour as Kelsey and Joey finish the Sand Detour. The news anchors can now make their way to the Pit Stop too. After seeing Kelsey and Joey have more success playing volleyball, Justin and Diana decide to switch Detours too. And soon afterwards, Ernest and Jin finish playing volleyball and can also make their way to the Pit Stop. They arrive there at the same time as Kelsey and Joey, but step on the mat first. Ernest and Jin are Team #7 and Kelsey and Joey are Team #8. Only three teams remain at Copacabana Beach: the engaged couple, the cheerleaders, and the TMZ coworkers.
Justin and Diana finish playing volleyball and can now make their way to the Pit Stop. Justin is beside himself in excitement. He says it has been an overwhelming day from being first place to last place, bu then managing to survive. “No more crying!” Justin proclaims. However, he is in tears again as he and Diana greet Phil as Team #9.
Only Tiffany and Krista and Kelly and Shevonne are left at the Detours. They are both struggling with the sliding puzzle, especially Kelly and Shevonne. They have been working on the puzzle for hours. Will the TMZ coworkers manage to finally finish their puzzle before the cheerleaders?
Nope! Tiffany and Krista finish their slide puzzle before them and can make their way to the Pit Stop. They are crying tears of joy as they get into a taxi to Arpoador Lookout. They greet Phil as Team #10.
Kelly and Shevonne know they are in last place and are aware their coworkers from TMZ will give them grief when they return to work. After 3 hours and 45 minutes, they finally complete the puzzle. However, they won’t be going to the Pit Stop. Phil walks up to them and informs them the news. Kelly and Shevonne are the first team eliminated from the race. They take their elimination well and sardonically admit that they believe they are the biggest losers to ever be on the show.
Episode Summary
1st place: Tanner and Josh (Won the Express Pass)
2nd place: Jazmine and Danielle
3rd place: Rick and Cindy
4th place: Denise and James Earl
5th place: Logan and Chris
6th place: Alex and Adam
7th place: Ernest and Jin
8th place: Kelsey and Joey
9th place: Justin and Diana
10th place: Tiffany and Krista
11th place: Kelly and Shevonne (Eliminated)
And that wraps up the season premiere of The Amazing Race! So what are your thoughts on the episode? Post in the comment section below and come back next week for another live recap!
