POOL REPORT: A TRIUMPH FOR PARENTS EVERYWHERE

By The Amazing Race Pool Reporters

Amazing Race All Stars, Season 24, Episode 12

Las Vegas -- What friends are for. While the usual blogger (along with poolster Cindy Schmitt) was off the grid on his way to Scotland, some other poolsters came through big time and filed reports.

Here are their accounts and their analyses of the finale to a fun-filled All-Star:

Dave and Connor

THE PLAY BY PLAY FROM BOB WILCOX

They're off to Vegas...digging in the desert...finding wooden boxes...going to an open space in the city and performing a magic trick with David Copperfield involving being locked in big wooden box, set afire, dropped into flames but appear dressed on fireman's garb..

Wrong David Cooperfield

Take window washers’ rig to top of Mirage Hotel...replace 241 light bulbs...country girls Caroline and Jennifer and father-and-son team of Dave and Connor are neck and neck...

Brenchels (Brendon and Rachel) close, but behind.. Guess who is whimpering and praying?...

Off they go to parachute into the Vegas Raceway...still too close to call and Dave and Connor  are also praying..

The world is hoping the county girls  win, but first we go to ads...

The Mirage

Lots of tension waiting to see who's on each parachute..

OMG it's Dave.

Brenchel crying maybe because of the ugly tights she's still wearing and finishing third.  

EMILY MORGAN AND DREW MOKRIS GIVE THE RESULTS

Third place, the Brenchels.  Even though Rachel is FROM Vegas, sadly our team did not prevail. Blame a bad cab, blame a clue box that was tough to find..

Rachel on Big Brother

The Brenchel baby will have to wait.  (Allegedly, if they won, Brendon was going to let Rachel get pregnant). There were tears. This viewer wants to know what Rachel did with her Big Brother million?  Did she blow it on sequins? 

Second place, the Country Singers.  Announcer Phil Keoghan gave them mad props for "making it to the top three,”  but as we were reminded in the recap, they had some help along the way (two non-elim legs AND an express pass? PLEASE!.)  They had a quick cabbie, who was loyal despite the Brenchels trying to steal him, and they ran a good race.

In first, the OLDEST and YOUNGEST team around, Dave and Connor.  They're the first parent/child team to win the Amazing Race (cue the tears from Margie & Luke, unsuccessful parent/child combo).  Their acceptance speech was full of tears, both on the mat and at 88 Bergen (home of Drew and Emily).  Good for them.

Margie and Luke

Overheard: Dave: What a comeback.

Other thoughts:

There was no quiz!!  The last leg had no recall component at all.  That's our favorite part.  Tell Phil, I suggest a rematch.

MARK MEMMOTT AGREES

Fans wonder: Why no challenge involving clues from all the stages?

And after all his complaining about his age, Dave proved that experience is critical. Recount all the light bulbs? No. Like any dad he figured it would be faster just to add 1 and guess again. Well done.

DENNIS DOELL LIGHTS IT UP

 The final stunt was kinda neat...parachuting into a stadium from a heli and two teams were neck and neck, so it was a big surprise who would land first,  

Light bulb

Before that, they had to screw in 241 light bulbs into the "I" atop THE MIRAGE in Vegas from a window cleaning gurney on the side of the building.

It was very very high, and they had to lean out to screw in the bulbs. Nerve-racking!

OK, so Brendan and Rachel kind of got screwed by having a really law-abiding cabdriver. She was driving very slowly and they kept urging her to speed up and she would have no part of it. I think they also entered the Mirage from a wrong entrance or something.

ELIZABETH COWLEY ON BIRTH 

Just don't get it. What does having a million dollars have to do with having a baby??? We had NOTHING. The babies came.

DIVIDING THE LOOT

Here’s the breakdown of this season’s cash prizes from the pool:

$100: Team Walkworth (Julia Walker and Louise and Will Wadsworth)

$50:  Team Boston (Mary Memmott and Christine Memmott)

$30:  Emily Morgan and Drew Mokris

$20:  Allison Kamenash Chanler (first eliminated, Morgan and Mark)

SURPRISING SEASON

As a reminder, here was the order of selection for the pool this time, followed by how the race team finished.

Upset of the season, Team Boston’s choosing the country singers. Next to last team chosen and the last team eliminated:

1. Team Showers, The Cowboys (5)

2. Team WalkWorth, Dave and Connor (1)

3. Bob and Sandy Wilcox, Afghanimals (4)

4. Team Beltway, Globetrotters (6)

5. Team Bushnell, Joey and Meghan (9)

6. Emily and Drew, Brendon and Rachel (3)

7. Dennis Doell, Jessica and John (6)

8. Allison, Mallory and Mark (10)

9. Team Boston, Caroline and Jennifer (2)

10. Cindy and Jim, Luke and Margie (8)

THANKS TO EVERYONE. BRING ON SEASON 25