A new episode of The Amazing Race airs tonight on CBS. Read a live recap here.
The race continues in Amman, Jordan. Before the teams can begin the leg, Phil gives them some news. Abby & Will were forced to withdraw due to a positive COVID test result. As a result, no other teams will be eliminated this leg. However, their placements today will determine the order they depart the next leg. The team in last place will depart 45 minutes behind.
The leg begins, and the teams learn they must proceed to the bookstore Maktabat Khazanet to find their next clue. The teams struggle finding the bookstore. They ask locals for directions, and Claire & Derek and Aubrey & David choose to follow Marcus & Michael. Emily still feels leg pain after pulling a muscle in the previous episode. Luis & Michelle look up directions on a computer.
Marcus & Michael and Emily & Molly find Maktabat Khazanet first. They read their clue and learn they have a Detour to complete. Step By Step requires teams to dress up and learn a choreographed dance performance. Letter By Letter requires teams to memorize and recite the Arabic alphabet. Marcus & Michael and Emily & Molly choose Letter By Letter. The rest of the teams find the bookstore and choose their Detours. Claire & Derek choose Letter By Letter too. Aubrey & David, Glenda & Lumumba, Quinton & Mattie, and Luis & Michelle choose Step By Step.
Marcus & Michael agree to divide the alphabet between them. Emily & Molly know Hebrew, and they hope their knowledge will help them succeed. Derek cannot roll his R’s, so he’s struggling reciting the alphabet. Meanwhile, at the other Detour, David & Aubrey are the first team to begin learning the dance. They’re dancers, but their bachata background won’t help with this particular performance.
Marcus & Michael are the first to finish the Detour. They learn they have a Roadblock to complete next. One team member must put together a handcart and roll it to the Pit Stop. As they depart, Aubrey & David are the first to attempt the performance. They do not pass and must try again. Luis & Michelle also fail on their first attempt. Glenda & Lumumba do not pass either. Marcus & Michael also walk pass the park where they need to put together the handcart. As they’re lost, Emily & Molly complete the Detour. They can proceed to the Roadblock now.
Aubrey & David are the first to complete the Step By Step Detour. They can proceed to the Roadblock. Luis & Michelle complete the dancing task next too. Due to others teams going the wrong way, Luis & Michelle manage to arrive at the Roadblock first. Luis gets started on the Roadblock. He was hoping for instructions, but they will only have a completed handcart as a visual aid to build their handcarts with the tools provided. More teams arrive at the Roadblock as more teams complete their Detours. Michael, Molly, and Claire are the next three to begin the Roadblock.
Glenda & Lumumba keep failing the dance performance, but Quinton & Mattie complete it after their first attempt. Aubrey & David were the first ones to complete their Detour, but they get lost and are behind the other teams. Aubrey & David finally arrive. David starts working on building his handcart, and Quinton is the next one to start on the Roadblock.
It takes Glenda & Lumumba eight attempts to finally complete the Step By Step Detour. They arrive at the Roadblock before any teams finish. Glenda gets to work on building her handcart, but Luis shortly finishes his handcart first. He and Michelle can proceed to the Pit Stop: the Nymphaeum. After Luis & Michelle depart, their handcart falls apart. Luis must rebuild it before he and Michelle can continue. David is the next to finish building his handcart. Luis manages to rebuild the handcart, and he and Michelle arrive at the Pit Stop first. Luis & Michelle are Team #1! They win Expedia Reward Points for a trip to Barcelona, Spain.
The next to finish the Roadblock are Quinton, Claire, Molly, and Michael. Although Michael arrived at the Roadblock earlier, he paid too much attention to detail to the handcart on display. He thought his handcart had to be identical, so that’s why he took so much time.
Aubrey & David arrive at the Pit Stop as Team #2. They are followed by Quinton & Mattie and Derek & Claire. Marcus & Michael manage to get ahead of Emily & Molly on the way to the Pit Stop. Marcus & Michael are Team #5, and Emily & Molly are Team #6.
Glenda finally completes building her handcart, and she and Lumumba are the last team to arrive at the Pit Stop. Although they are not eliminated, Glenda feels like she let Lumumba down. Lumumba reassures her that she didn’t, and he’s proud of her. Glenda & Lumumba are still in the race, but they will start 45 minutes behind the first team in the next leg.
Leg Summary
1st place: Luis & Michelle
2nd place: Aubrey & David
3rd place: Quinton & Mattie
4th place: Derek & Claire
5th place: Marcus & Michael
6th place: Emily & Molly
7th place: Glenda & Lumumba
And that wraps up tonight’s episode of The Amazing Race. Thanks for reading, and come back next week for another live recap.
