In tonight’s episode of the race, teams traveled to Spain. With only five teams remaining and a Double U-Turn in play, no one is safe. So which team was eliminated? Read on to find out.
En este episodio, los corredores viajaron a Sevilla, España, donde tuvieron que …Oops, wrong language. Sorry, but I used to live in Spain and I’ve visited Sevilla many times before, so it was really cool recognizing all the streets and buildings showcased in tonight’s episode. Several times I said “I’ve been there!” to myself while watching the episode. Anyway, onto the recap!
The teams learn that their next destination is Sevilla, Spain (I know the English name is Seville, but I never called it that while I lived in Spain, so I hope you don’t mind me referring to it as Sevilla in this recap). Dave and Connor came in first in the last leg of the race, so they are the first to depart. Once again, they whine about being U-Turned by Brendon and Rachel. Thankfully, they don’t mention it much for the remainder of the episode. They are followed by Jet and Cord, Leo and Jamal, Brendon and Rachel, and Caroline and Jennifer. Dave and Connor and Leo and Jamal get on the fastest flight to Sevilla and are in the lead. Jet and Cord, however, get lost on the way to the airport, so they have to take the same flight as Brendon and Rachel and Caroline and Jennifer.
Once the teams arrive in Sevilla, they must proceed to the Alameda and get a clue from someone standing in between two columns. One column has Hercules standing atop it, and the other one has Caesar. Dave and Connor and Leo and Jamal arrive there first and learn they have a Roadblock to complete. They must shave a balloon with a straight razor within sixty seconds without popping it. Connor and Jamal do the task for their respective team. Once again, Dave does not do the Roadblock, despite this being a fairly simple task that does not require a lot of energy. Connor really is pulling the weight for this father and son team, and Dave should be more proactive in stepping up to do the Roadblocks. However, making Connor do all the work doesn’t hurt them again as he completes the Roadblock on his second attempt. He and Dave can proceed to their next location: Real Alacázar. Jamal completes the Roadblock too, and he and Leo make their way to Real Alacázar as the other three teams try to find the barbershop (they have already arrived at Sevilla).
Caroline and Jennifer were the first team of the bottom three teams to find the clue leading them to the barbershop, but a confused taxi driver for Brendon and Rachel and bad navigational skills by Jet and Cord keep them in the back of the pack. However, Team Brenchel and the cowboys find the barbershop before too long, and it’s dead even as Jennifer, Jet, and Rachel all work to shave a balloon without popping it. They each either pop it or run out of time during their attempts at the task, but it is Rachel who successfully completes the Roadblock before Jennifer or Jet. She and Brendon are now Team #3 and can make their way to Real Alacázar. However, Jennifer and Jet complete the Roadblock shortly afterwards, and they can make their way to Real Alacázar too.
Meanwhile, Dave and Connor and Leo and Jamal have received their next clue, and they learn they now have a Detour to complete: “Spanish Steps” or “Run with the Ballz.” “Spanish Steps” requires teams to learn and perform a specific Flamenco dance routine. “Run with the Ballz” requires team members to wear a giant plastic bubble and run down the streets looking for three signs that form the phrase, “A matador never thinks about his own death.” They must recite this sentence to a man to receive their next clue. However, while they are roaming the streets for the signs, they will also be rammed into by other guys in giant plastic bubbles. All the teams choose to “Run with the Ballz.” The only team who chooses the “Spanish Steps” Detour is Caroline and Jennifer. However, Caroline and Jennifer had to complete their Speed Bump before they can continue on to the Detour. However, it was a simple task that required them to deliver six Spanish hams to a café. They actually complete it by the time Jet and Cord arrive at Real Alacázar due to the cowboys getting lost once again.
Since most of the teams do the same Detour, I won’t write a play-by-play since it would be too repetitive. However, note-worthy moments included Dave once again complaining about his age as he continuously gets knocked over by the aggressive “bulls.” Rachel also has a hard time with the task, and he can’t believe the “bulls” are so aggressive with her since she’s a woman and there are men inside the plastic balls that are knocking them over. She calls them bullies. Leo and Jamal have a hard time with the task too. At one point, Jamal harms his knees, which slow them down greatly after they’re done with the task. Jet and Cord miss one of the signs while rolling around in the streets, and had to go back to find the part of the phrase they missed.
After all was said and done, it was Dave and Connor who complete the task first. They make their way to the General Archives of the Indies where the U-Turn board is located. Since they used the U-Turn on Leo and Jamal two legs ago, they cannot U-Turn a team today. However, they make it clear they wish they could U-Turn Brendon and Rachel if they were allowed. However, the clue box by the U-Turn board contains the clue that reveals the location of the Pit Stop for this leg of the race: The Plaza de España. Dave and Connor quickly make their way over there, and are informed they are Team #1, and they win a trip for two to Saint Croix. This is the father and son duo’s fourth win so far this season. Dave cries about how proud he is of Connor, and they both assert that they will be the first parent and child team to win The Amazing Race.
Leo and Jamal were the second team to complete the Detour, but Jamal’s knee injury slows them down as they make their way to the Pit Stop. However, they use the U-Turn on Jet and Cord before they walk over to the mat where Phil awaits. The plan for the day was for Brendon and Rachel to be U-Turned. Leo and Jamal, however, ignore the desires of their alliance members since they believe Jet and Cord are a much bigger threat, and they think they can easily beat Brendon and Rachel in the next leg of the race. However, due to Jamal’s knee injury making him and Leo walk slowly to the Pit Stop, Brendon and Rachel beat them in today’s leg and manage to check-in as Team #2! Brendon and Rachel were shocked, yet extremely delighted when they saw that they were non U-Turned. “They did the smart thing, not the popular thing,” Rachel says of Leo and Jamal’s decision to U-Turn the cowboys. Even though Brendon and Rachel beat them today, Leo and Jamal (while checking-in at the Pit Stop as Team #3) assert to Phil that they feel much more comfortable racing against Team Brenchel than against the cowboys.
Therefore, that just leaves the last two teams: Caroline and Jennifer and Jet and Cord. The country singers actually finish Flamenco dancing and make their way to the U-Turn board before the cowboys do. They are shocked that Leo and Jamal did not U-Turn Brendon and Rachel. So Caroline and Jennifer U-Turn Brendon and Rachel (even though Team Brenchel already checked-in) before they greet Phil and are declared Team #4.
So that means Jet and Cord are in last place. They are disappointed to be U-Turned, claiming that they knew Leo and Jamal couldn’t be trusted as they turn around to complete the Flamenco dancing Detour. They complete it and finally make their way over to Phil, where they learn that they have been eliminated from the race. The cowboys are disappointed, but they take their elimination well and are grateful for getting the opportunity to race around the world three times.
Episode Summary:
1st place: Dave and Connor (Won a trip to Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands)
2nd place: Brendon and Rachel
3rd place: Leo and Jamal
4th place: Caroline and Jennifer
5th place: Jet and Cord (Eliminated)
Thanks for reading, and join me next week for another recap of The Amazing Race: All-Stars!
