The Amazing Race season premiere airs tonight on CBS. Read a live recap and join the discussion here.
The episode begins in Washington Square Park in New York City. Thousands of fans are there to cheer on the new teams. Phil says this is the most competitive cast yet, and it’s time to meet the cast. First are Joey & Tim, competitive eaters. Next are Cedric & Shawn, former NBA players. The third team we meet are Dessie & Kayla, models and ring girls. The next team is Alex & Conor, IndyCar drivers. The fifth team we meet are Kristi & Jen, professional skiers. Next we meet Cody & Jessica, dating Big Brother 19 Houseguests.
Before we meet any of the other teams, the entire cast runs out and greets Phil in Washington Square Park. Phil chats with a few of them, even offering a hot dog to competitive eater Joey. Cedric & Shawn are confident to win, Jen loves a good competition, and Conor says everyone here is intimidating. Afterwards, it’s time for the race to begin. “The world is waiting for you…Good luck…Travel safe…Go!” says Phil.
The teams are now on their way. First, they must collect their clues in the fountain and learn their first destination: Reykjavík, Iceland.
It’s time to meet the other teams. Lucas & Brittany are dating lifeguards (Lucas plans to propose to Brittany during the race). April & Sarah partake in goat yoga. Evan & Henry are dating debaters. Eric & Daniel are twin firefighters. Trevor & Chris are violinists.
The teams land in Reykjavík, Iceland and get into cars to drive to their next destination Geitargljufur where the clue box awaits. Evan & Henry are the first team to arrive. Their first task is for one of them to make their way across a canyon by high wire above a river and collect an Icelandic flag. Evan collects the flag as Cody & Jessica arrive. Evan & Henry get their next clue, and they learn they must proceed to Esjumelur. The NBA Players, the IndyCar drivers, and the Skiiers are the next to arrive at the task. Meanwhile, the other teams are still trying to find the location.
Evan & Henry are in the lead, with Cody & Jessica in second, Alex & Conor in third, Cedric & Shawn in fourth, and Kristi & Jen in fifth place. They all complete the task with no issues. Elsewhere, April & Sarah are bickering in the car as they try to find the location. Sarah is calling April passive aggressive. She’s also annoyed by April accusing her of doing nothing but sleep on the plane. April wonders why Sarah is being so hurtful.
Dessie & Kayla are the next team to attempt the high wire task, with Trevor & Chris right behind them. Meanwhile, Evan & Henry find their next clue and learn they have a Roadblock to complete. One must get into a dune buggy and decipher a word puzzle. They will pass letters with numbers on them, and they must figure out the number is in the order the letters must be. The word they have to spell is their next location: Ingólfstorg. Henry does the Roadblock for the Debaters. Alex & Conor and Cody & Jessica are the next two teams to arrive at the Roadblock, with Conor and Cody doing the task for their respective teams. Henry asks for a check for the word he must put together, but he has two letters in the wrong spot. He must try again.
Joey & Tim are the next to attempt the high wire task with Lucas & Brittany right behind them. Meanwhile, Henry, Conor, and Cody are all trying to decipher the word. Henry is incorrect again, but Cody gets it right. Cody & Jessica are now in the lead. They can now proceed to Ingólfstorg. Elsewhere, April & Sarah and Eric & Daniel are the last two teams attempting the high wire task.
Henry finally solves the word puzzle, and he and Evan can now go to Ingólfstorg too. Kristi & Jen arrive at the Roadblock, as do Cedric & Shawn and Trevor & Chris. Jen is the next person to solve the word, putting her and Kristi in third place. Conor is still struggling with the task, unable to unscramble the letters in the correct order.
Cody & Jessica arrive at Ingólfstorg, and they are told from a weightlifting expert to identify two drinks. One is called “Black Death,” and the other is called Porskalysi. They ask the locals for the answers, and they learn Porskalysi is cod liver oil. However, a local gives them wrong info about “Black Death,” telling them it’s coffee. Instead, it’s Brennivín. Another local gives them the correct info, and they each drink the two beverages. They get their next clue and learn they can now proceed to the Pit Stop: a lake shore at Reykjavíkurtjörnin. Kristi & Jen are the next two to attempt the beverage task. They complete it quickly as Cody & Jessica get lost on their way to the Pit Stop.
Kristi & Jen find Phil first. They are Team #1! They won a trip to Santorini, Greece. Cody & Jessica are still lost as they struggle finding the lake. Meanwhile, Conor is still struggling with the Roadblock. Trevor is the next to complete the Roadblock, making the violinists another team to surpass the IndyCar drivers. April & Sarah and Eric & Daniel arrive at the Roadblock next, but Conor finally solves the puzzle. He and Alex can now proceed to the next location.
Cody & Jessica, Evan & Henry, and Trevor & Chris all arrive at the Pit Stop simultaneously. Jody are Team #2, the debaters are Team #3, and the violinists are Team #4.
Shawn is still struggling with the Roadblock, unable to unscramble the letters as the competitive eaters, firefighters, lifeguards, and ring girls all complete the Roadblock. Cedric shouts out to Shawn to focus on the ‘O’s’ and the ‘P’s,’ but Shawn doesn’t seem to hear him. As he is still trying to correctly spell the word, Alex & Conor greet Phil at the Pit Stop as Team #5. Shawn helps Sarah with the task to try and work together, and he even ends up giving her the answer. She and April can now proceed to the next task. Shawn is stunned as he believes he has the same answer, but he doesn’t realize one ‘O’ has an accent mark and the other one doesn’t. He has them in the wrong spots. However, he finally realizes his mistake. He and Cedric can now finally go to the next location, but they bicker as they get lost on the way there.
Joey & Tim arrive at the Pit Stop as Team #6, and Lucas & Brittany arrive at the Pit Stop as Team #7.
Cedric & Shawn arrive at the Pit Stop, but Phil informs them that teammates are not allowed to give each other help at Roadblocks. Cedric shouted out to Shawn to concentrate on the ‘O’s’, so they now have a 30 minute penalty. Right behind them are Eric & Daniel, and Phil informs them they are Team #8.
Cedric & Shawn manage to check-in as Team #9 before any other teams arrive. However, it is a footrace between the ring girls and goat yoga moms. In a photo finish, Dessie was the last to place a foot on the Pit Stop mat. April & Sarah are Team #10. Dessie & Kayla are Team #11 and have been eliminated from the race. They’re disappointed, but they call it an amazing experience.
Episode Summary
1st place: Kristi & Jen (Won a trip to Santorini, Greece)
2nd place: Cody & Jessica
3rd place: Evan & Henry
4th place: Trevor & Chris
5th place: Alex & Conor
6th place: Joey & Tim
7th place: Lucas & Brittany
8th place: Eric & Daniel
9th place: Cedric & Shawn
10th place: April & Sarah
11th place: Dessie & Kayla (Eliminated)
And that wraps up the season premiere of The Amazing Race. Thanks for reading, post your thoughts in the comment section below, and come back next week for another live recap.
