Tonight is the season premiere of The Amazing Race! Eleven teams will race around the world for a shot at the $1,000,000 grand prize. I will be live-blogging the first episode of the new season here.
Before the premiere begins tonight, let’s get acquainted with the teams this season.
Adam and Bethany – They are a newlywed surfing couple from Hawaii. Bethany is well-known for surviving a shark attack and her story was brought to life on screen in the 2011 film Soul Surfer.
Amy and Maya – They are friends who work together as food scientists.
Brooke and Robbie – They are a dating couple who both happen to be professional wrestlers.
Dennis and Isabelle – They are a newly dating couple.
Keith and Whitney – They are a engaged couple who met and competed on Survivor: South Pacific back in 2011. Whitney is also a country music singer. They were engaged during the race, and they did get married after the season finished shooting.
Kym and Alli – They are friends and cyclists from New York City.
Lisa and Michelle – They are sisters who work together as realtors.
Michael and Scott – They are friends and firefighters.
Misti and Jim – They are a married couple who work together as dentists.
Shelley and Nici – They are a mother and daughter team that work together as flight attendants.
Tim and Te Jay – They are a dating couple who met in college.
The eleven teams gather at Times Square to begin the race. Phil acknowledges that this is the 25th season of The Amazing Race and celebrates the history of the show. Phil also informs the racers that instead of an Express Pass, the twist this season is The Save. The team that wins tonight’s leg will win The Save, which will save them from elimination if they come in last place before the ninth leg of the race.
And the race begins! The first clue informs teams that they must go to where the very first race ended. The teams go to the crowd to ask where they need to go. They learn the location is the Globe at Flushing Meadows Park. Teams scramble for taxis.
Adam and Bethany are the first team to arrive and find the clue box. They learn they must fly to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Only five teams are allowed on the first flight. It will be a forty minute difference.
Tim and TeJay arrive at the airport, but are the first to check-in. Dennis and Isabelle arrive third, but check-in second. Adam and Bethany realize they are in the wrong place and finally check-in third. Kym and Alli are the fourth team to check-in, with Misti and Jim being the fifth and last team to check-in for the first flight. Keith and Whitney check-in sixth and are the first on the second flight with everyone else.
The first flight lands and the teams must find Vendor’s Plaza. Adam and Bethany are the first to sign-up for the first seaplane with Tim and Te Jay. Kym and Alli and Misti and Jim are on the second flight. Dennis and Isabelle are on the third flight.
The second group of teams arrive. Keith and Whitney are first on the fourth flight, along with Shelley and Nici. There is a scuffle at the sign-up board and the two teams on the fifth flight are Amy and Maya and Lisa and Michelle. Michael and Scott and Brooke and Robbie are on the last flight. Michael and Scott are angry with Lisa and Michelle for grabbing the marker away from them before they could sign their names.
The teams now must do their first task. They must make their way to a rocky outcrop and jump into the sea. Their next clue will be floating in the water. Tim and Te Jay and Adam and Bethany are the first to complete the task, and they learn they must proceed to a ship named Blackbeard’s Revenge. They get their next clue from a ship captain. They must get on a boat and pull themselves with a rope to shore.
They are now given a task to locate a treasure chest by using a compass, a shovel, and specific coordinates. Tim and Adam are the first to do the task. Meanwhile, the cyclists and the dentists are right behind them. Alli and Jim do the task. Adam and Jim help each other since Jim has a compass on his watch that is less confusing than the liquid compass provided for them.
Jim is the first to find his treasure chest. He and Misti can proceed to the Pit Stop: Fort Christian.
Three more teams arrive at the treasure chest task. Dennis, Keith, and Shelley do the digging task. Meanwhile, Michael and Scott and Robbie and Brooke are jumping off the rocky outcrop.
Jim and Misti arrive at the Pit Stop and are Team #1. They win The Save.
Amy and Maya and Lisa and Michelle arrive at the treasure chest task, as do Brooke and Robbie and Michael and Scott. Doing the digging are Robbie, Lisa, Amy, and Scott. Everyone is struggling with the task.
Tim finally finds a treasure chest. Robbie finds one too (Shelley is annoyed since she helped him). Alli finds the next one. Adam finally finds one too, meaning five teams have now completed the task. Tim and Te Jay check-in as Team #2. Amy find the next one. Dennis and Isabelle find one. Shelley finds one right after Dennis. Scott is still working, as are Keith and Lisa.
Kym and Alli check-in as Team #3. Brooke and Robbie are Team #4.
Adam and Bethany are Team #5.
Amy and Maya are Team #6.
The next two teams arrive at the Pit Stop simultaneously, with Dennis and Isabelle checking in as Team #7 and Shelley and Nici checking in as Team #8.
The last three teams are still struggling, and it’s nighttime. Keith wants to take a penalty and Whitney agrees after seeing how much trouble Keith is having with the task. They want to convince the other teams to do the same. They all agree.
It’s a race to not come in last. The firefighters refuse to let Lisa and Michelle in their taxi. Keith and Whitney are slightly ahead, but it’s still really close.
They all arrive at the Pit Stop at the same time, but it is Keith and Whitney who check-in first with Scott and Michael next to them. Lisa and Michelle arrive last and are eliminated.
Summary of Episode:
Team #1: Jim and Misti (They win The Save)
Team #2: Tim and Te Jay
Team #3: Kym and Alli
Team #4: Brooke and Robbie
Team #5: Adam and Bethany
Team #6: Amy and Maya
Team #7: Dennis and Isabelle
Team #8: Shelly and Nici
Team #9: Keith and Whitney (Must take a four hour penalty)
Team #10: Scott and Michael (Must take a four hour penalty)
Eliminated: Lisa and Michelle
Thanks for reading and join me next week for another recap of The Amazing Race!
