Finally, the finale: Amazing Race to romance finishes up

By Jim Memmott

Amazing Race, Season 26, episode 12 preview

Peru – After visiting five continents and eight countries and traveling more than 30,000 miles, the Amazing Race experiment in match matching ends with the May 15 episode.

Mike and Rochelle dance

The four remaining teams – three blind-daters, one committed couple – will fly to Texas where they will visit a cattle ranch and do some scary high-wire stuff and maybe even be faced with a brain teaser.

This is the second season in a row that host Phil Keoghan has shaken things up by letting a fourth team into the finale. Last season he gave an 11^th hour reprieve to the Sweet Scientists. Amy and Maya, and they went on to win the $1 million first prize.

If history repeats itself this season, the Truck Stop Lovers, Mike and Rochelle, will pocket the winners’ cash.

They could have been eliminated in Episode 11, finishing last as they were undone by, among other things, having to learn dance steps.

Hayley and Blair not bickering

(Really, there must have been 100 challenges this season involving dancing. Forget about learning to drive a standard, go to Arthur Murray if you want to win the Race.)

The truck stoppers are the only survivors of the six committed couples who began the Race. The other three finalists are all blind-dating couples.

I’m not sure what this says about relationships – the briefer the better? – but it’s probably significant that the blind-daters who are still with us all stayed out of love.

They stayed out of hate as well, including the bickering Blair and Hayley, whose war of words drove this season’s plot line early on. Eventually, they declared a truce. Now that they’ve agreed to disagree, they’re not as much fun, but they are terrific racers, having won the last two episodes.

Lawyers Jelani and Jenny are cheerfully in it for the money. Hey, they’re lawyers.

Jenny and Jelani at the wall

Laura and Tyler, also blind-daters, really should be real daters as they seem made for each other, but they, too, have kept their eye on the prize, putting romance on hold.

So what happened in Episode 11? I recall something about making bricks – who knew they were heavy? – and the traditional dancing forced Jelani to smile. Not easy.

And there was a Roadblock that involved a shaky kayak and waves and a buoy and, as long as I’m asking questions, “Aren’t there a lot of water challenges like this on the Amazing Race?”

Laura and Tyler, good friends

What will happen in Episode 12?

I’m hoping that along about the 30-minute mark, Phil will stop the proceedings and reveal a realignment of the blind-daters.

With a wink, he’ll tell us that there was some room-and-partner swapping back there in Germany, or Namibia, or somewhere and, well, Blair and Jenny are now a committed couple, as are Laura and Jelani and Hayley and Tyler.

“It’s a little confusing,” Phil will say, “but isn’t love confusing?”

Meanwhile, while all the new lovers stare into each others’ eyes, Mike and Rochelle, good old Mike and Rochelle, will dance their way to the finish and $1 million. Wouldn't that be amazing?

Coming back

Word on the Internet is that The Amazing Race has been renewed and Season 27 will air in the fall, no date set. And yes, it will be on Friday night again. It's been drawing around 6 million viewers, down from its Sunday night numbers, but not terrible for CBS or for Friday night.

Episode 11, Overheard:

Tyler: If I gotta be more aggressive, I’m going to be more aggressive.

Blair to Hayley: Another one of your strengths is whispering.

Jelani: I’m a confident guy; I’m not so confident in my Peruvian dancing skills.

Laura: Oh my god, oh my god. I was literally just praying that somebody would get a flat tire.

Tyler: If we lose a million bucks to Blair and Haley, it’s not going to sit well.

Jenny: The boat is riding him (Jelani) instead of the other way around…I shouldn’t be laughing now.

Hayley: We worked out our communication issues.

Phil: Sometime before the finish line I will be eliminating a team.

Order of finish, Episode 11

1) Hayley and Blair

2) Jelani and Jenny

3)  Laura and Tyler

4) Mike and Rochelle