Tonight the Final Five teams traveled to Switzerland for this leg of the race. The drama from last week continues as a three-team alliance is formed against Brendon and Rachel after they used the U-Turn on Dave and Connor. Do Team Brenchel survive this alliance against them? Read on to find out.
Brendon and Rachel won the last leg of the race, so they’re the first to depart. They must now travel to Chiasso, Switzerland in a Ford Focus and find Wilhelm (William) Tell. Right behind them are the other remaining teams: Jet and Cord, Dave and Connor, Caroline and Jennifer, and Leo and Jamal. Dave and Connor are still bitter about the U-Turn, and Caroline and Jennifer are still upset about it too. According to the country singers, people with nice hair shouldn’t be U-Turned. I know that was just a joke, but it was still a really stupid thing to say. The whole bitterness and hatred toward Brendon and Rachel using the U-Turn is a bit too much, I must say. They did nothing wrong with using the U-Turn, but Dave and Connor just won’t let it go. What’s even more ironic is that Brendon and Rachel just made a strategic move, but it is Dave and Connor (as well as Caroline and Jennifer and Leo and Jamal) who choose to make it personal by making fun of the newlywed couple (especially Rachel). What’s even more hypocritical is how those three teams form an alliance that Caroline dubs “The Accidental Alliance” against Brendon and Rachel. So apparently, everyone else is allowed to be against Brendon and Rachel, but God forbid Brendon and Rachel have the audacity to be strategic by U-Turning a team. It’s just very immature behavior. This kind of cattiness is not uncommon on shows like Big Brother, but it’s actually the Big Brother veterans that are being the mature ones in this scenario. Anyway, back to the race.
Brendon and Rachel get on the train first, but the “Accidental Alliance” board the train at the last minute. Jet and Cord got lost along the way, so they must take a different train. However, since Wilhelm Tell won’t be arriving until sunrise, the cowboys didn’t lose any valuable time when they arrive at Audorf. So that means that all of the teams are on equal footing when Wilhelm Tell arrives at six in the morning to hand them their clue. They each grab one and make their way to the Chapel Bridge in Lucerne, Switzerland. All the teams arrive there, except for Brendon and Rachel. They went to the wrong bridge, a fact that the other teams are giddy about. Connor even suggests that all the teams work together to ensure Brendon and Rachel will be the next ones eliminated.
They find out that they must go to the Schwiezerhof Hotel and clean up a hotel room to get their next clue. Each room is trashed as if it was just inhabited by rock stars. Not only must they tidy up the rooms, but it must be identical to the example room that is provided for them. So that means that each tiny detail must be the same, such as where a flower vase sits, which fruit is presented on a table, the correct angle of a light fixture, and the way the toilet paper roll is set up in the bathroom. All the teams get to work, and Brendon and Rachel arrive at the hotel before any of the teams finishes. Several teams are inspected numerous times by a woman named Helga before they are correct. However, it is Jet and Cord who finishes first. Helga hands them a clue that informs them that they must make their way to the Swiss Museum of Transport. But right behind them are Leo and Jamal and Dave and Connor, who passed Helga’s inspection pretty much at the same time. But shortly afterwards, Caroline and Jennifer pass the room inspection too and they can make their way to the museum.
Once at the museum, the teams must be able to identify the enormous artifact standing outside before they can proceed to the task. The artifact is a tunnel drill, which Jet and Cord recognize right away. Dave recognizes the artifact too, and he tells Leo and Jamal and Caroline and Jennifer what it is so they get a free pass inside as well. Around this time, Brendon and Rachel pass Helga’s inspection and can make their way to the Swiss Museum of Transport.
They now have another task to complete that requires a little bit of math. They must pick a classic Ford Mustang and try to find out its model year. To do so, they must use the numbers of road signs displayed above them and their clue to calculate the model year of the Ford Mustang. Jet and Cord figure out the math with no trouble, as do Dave and Connor and Leo and Jamal. Caroline and Jennifer are still struggling by the time Brendon and Rachel arrive to start the task. However, before Brendon and Rachel can get ahead of Caroline and Jennifer, Leo and Jamal hang back to help out the country singers. I must say that it is really pathetic how Caroline and Jennifer need to rely on the assistance of other teams to stay in the reace. They had Dave and Connor drag them along the last two legs, and now here’s Leo and Jamal helping them figure out how to do a task. It is just pathetic. The country singers do eventually figure out the task and calculate the model year of their Ford Mustang. But so do Brendon and Rachel (without any help from anybody). They can now make their way to where all the other teams are headed: Oberrickenbach. And Brendon and Rachel even catch up to Leo and Jamal and Caroline and Jennifer on the drive over there.
There is now a Roadblock to complete. It requires a team member to travel by gondolas to pick up tankards of milk. After they get them, they must deliver it to a farmer with the help of a Bernese mountain dog. The team members working on this roadblock are Cord, Connor, Leo, Brendon, and Caroline. This roadblock goes by without many problems, so there’s really no need to write a play-by-play of this task. It’s just basically watching them travel across a snowy landscape as they pick up their milk tankards and then deliver them with the help of a sweet Bernese mountain dog.
Cord is the first person to finish the task, so he and Jet can now make their way to the Pit Stop: Mount Titlis. But Dave and Leo finish the Roadblock moments afterwards, so it is a close race for first place. At first it looks like Dave and Connor were definitely going to get it, but after walking the wrong way instead of taking a gondola, they allowed Jet and Cord and Leo and Jamal to board the same gondola to the Pit Stop. However, it doesn’t matter because Dave and Connor arrive at the Pit Stop first after the cowboys and the Afghanimals take the wrong way trying to find Phil. So it is the father and son duo that arrives at the mat first, and they are each awarded their own Ford Mustang. Congrats to them, I guess. I can’t say I’m too pleased to see them win after their insufferable attitude the last two legs of the race. So that means Jet and Cord take second place and Leo and Jamal take third.
Meanwhile, Brendon does the Roadblock without any trouble, which allows him to claim fourth place with Rachel for this leg of the race. And coming in last place are the useless Caroline and Jennifer. It’s almost hilarious how the country singers can only survive a leg when they have help from other teams. Even with some help today, they still come in last when they’re alone at the Roadblock. However, Caroline and Jennifer will have the chance to ride on the coattails of Dave and Connor and Leo and Jamal once more, since this is a non-elimination leg. That’s twice that the country singers have been spared by a non-elimination leg this season. I also can’t say that I’m happy to see them survive since they are easily the least deserving team to still be in the race.
At this point, my favorite team is easily Brendon and Rachel. I know they are a polarizing duo (they have been ever since their first season of Big Brother back in 2010). But they have three teams totally against them, both personally and strategically. But instead of whining about it and verbally bashing the other teams (like the “Accidental Alliance” have been doing to them), they’re just staying focused and doing their best to stay in the race and survive. And they’ve been doing a pretty great job too. They are strong competitors and have earned their spot in the Top 5. The other team that I still find root-worthy is Jet and Cord. They are running their own race and have never made any personal insults about any of the other teams. They are also a very strong, likable team, and are especially adept at the challenges. Brendon and Rachel and Jet and Cord are pretty much the only teams I would be happy to see win the race.
The “Accidental Alliance,” however, have become completely insufferable. Dave and Connor need to get over that U-Turn. Where in the rules does it say that it is against the rules to U-Turn a team with a sixty-year-old man? They need to get over themselves and not take being U-Turned so personally. If anything, it should be a compliment to how strong of a team they are (even though it’s really Connor doing most of the work for them). I’m not saying getting U-Turned is something they should be happy about, but enough time has passed for them to be over it by now. Their immature attitude and self-righteousness has just really become annoying. Another team that is annoying for a different reason is Caroline and Jennifer. They basically had to have the other teams hold their hands throughout the race instead of doing things for themselves. It’s absolutely pathetic! I remember Meghan (from Team YouTube) making a comment weeks ago in the race about how they should try to be strong women instead of having the men do everything for them. I don’t think there was anything wrong with them begging for the Express Pass from Jet and Cord or accepting help, but the fact that they are still coattail riders at this point in the race is just really sad. Then there’s Leo and Jamal, who are a strong team. I just find their personalities annoying and off-putting.
Episode Summary:
1st place: Dave and Connor (Each won a 2015 Ford Mustang)
2nd place: Jet and Cord
3rd place: Leo and Jamal
4th place: Brendon and Rachel
5th place: Caroline and Jennifer
Eliminated: No one
Thanks for reading, and join me next week for another recap of The Amazing Race: All-Stars!
