Amazing Race ends in Nashville with a happy tune

 The Amazing Race

 

Season 34, Episode 10

 

By Jim Memmott

 

Nashville – The season (23 days, 8 countries, 16 cities) ended in Music City U.S.A with a musical note, actually several musical notes.

 

The remaining three race teams had to play a tune on a floor piano – think Tom Hanks in the movie “Big” – the notes corresponding, in chronological order, to scenes from the earlier Race episodes.

 

Claire Rehfuss and her partner, Derek Xiao, were the first to complete the challenge, in part because he had years of piano lessons as a kid.

 

Thus, they (right, CBS) were first to the pitstop and the $1 million first prize. (Top prize in the pool went to Allison Chanler).

 

At the end, Derek made it seem he was about to propose – a time-tested race ending. He was only joking, much, it seemed, to Claire’s relief. (First, they have to move in together, etc.)

 

Derek and Claire had zipped through the opening challenge, a

bit of product (Jack Daniels) placement that made the ever-present Expedia plugs seem subtle.

 

He then made quick work of what was, at least to me, a terrifying challenge that involved climbing up a bridge arch and then shimmying down a rope. I really couldn’t watch.

 

Beyond everything else, Claire and Derek had the sort of banter that Race producers love. They were good.

 

So, too, were the runners up, the reunited sisters, Emily Bushnell and Molly Sinert (Seneca River Crew’s team).

The sisters over-achieved, over-coming the knee injury Emily (near left, CBS) picked up early in the season. Ultimately, though, their loss was the result of that familiar Race problem, getting lost. They went the wrong way after the bridge challenge, letting Claire and Derek get too far ahead. (A grace note: At the end, Emily thanked everyone, including the crew.)

 

Michelle Burgos and Luis Colon (Cindy Schmitt’s team) came in third, in part because Michelle lost time on the bridge

It wasn’t fear of heights – more than any racer I’ve ever seen she likes heights – it was just that the climb wore her out. She also mistakenly thought she had to wait for Molly to finish her descent before she could head down.

 

After that, Michelle and Luis had

trouble with the piano challenge, mostly because they don’t know music.

Thus, they came in last, happy as if they had won. If the $1

million were awarded to most upbeat duo, they would have it in the bank right now.

 

Bottom line

The episode was a fitting finale to a solid season, one with lots of great scenery (I liked Iceland best), likeable teams, and generally solid challenges. I don’t think it was quite up to Season 33, but that season, interrupted as it was by a pandemic, was special just by being there.

 

I do sort of wish Season 34 had had a jerk. Good heavens, in this age of division and distrust there must be some schemers and backbiters willing to be nasty for the sake of reality TV.

 

Host Phil Keoghan eliminated the non-elimination episodes this season to make each leg more competitive. However, I missed the sense that a race duo might just get lucky after a bad outing. I guess I’m into undeserved redemption.

 

While he’s at it, Phil might bring back some of the interesting teams that went out early this season.

 

It would be fun to see quip-a-minute footballer Rex Ryan and his golf buddy Tim Mann again.

Ditto for motivational speakers Dom Jones and Rich Kuo. I never quite knew what she was saying, but I loved listening to her.

 

Then, too, let’s force Sharik Atkinson, the only racer I remember having had to be talked out of quitting, to race again.

 

Big picture: Will there be another season?

 

The ratings have been good – between 4.5 million and 5 million total viewers per episode. Beyond that, producers have proven once again they can pull off the Race, even in the face of a pandemic. That must count for a lot.

 

Overheard

 

Claire: This is the only leg that matters.

 

Molly: We’re the shortest team in the finals, the oldest team and most female-ist.

 

Claire: Molly and Emily are clearly like scrappy underdogs. ... Everyone likes an underdog.

 

Derek (of Claire): She reminded me how much a human could be kind-hearted.

 

Molly: I’m running this race with a woman I just met a year ago.

 

Luis (on Michelle): She’s my partner in crime; she’s my soulmate.

 

Order of Finish

 

1. Derek Xiao, Claire Rehfuss (Big Brother graduates, dating couple)

2. Luis Colon, Michelle Burgos (Married couple)

3.  Emily Bushnell, Molly Sinert (Long-lost twins)

 

 

The Amazing Race double dips in Iceland's icy waters

The Amazing Race

 

Season 34, Episode 9

 

By Jim Memmott

 

Iceland – Spoiler alert: Let’s get the sad news over at the start.

 

Aubrey Ares and David Hernandez, ballroom dancers and good-hearted competitors, were eliminated from the race, so they won’t be competing in next week’s finale. (Their loss meant Judith Hunter and Bob Wilcox are out of the pool.)

What happened? Basically, there were two challenges that demanded swimming, and David can’t swim. Eventually, he and Aubrey just had to stop, not go in the cold Icelandic waters one more time to get things right on a memory test.

 

In David’s defense, it did seem a little harsh that the Race’s producers threw two water challenges in the same episode knowing that this might handicap one of the teams.

 

Whatever, it was sad to see the couple go. They were gritty overachievers, and there were certainly moments earlier when they had better luck.

 

Moving on to next week’s finale:

The best Hollywood ending would have the twins, Emily Bushnell and Molly Sinert, win the $1 million.

They have the most compelling back story, as they were adopted by different families as infants and reunited as adults. They've hung on in the race even though Emily has a clearly painful knee.

This week's episode was won by Claire Rehfuss and Derek Xaio. Certainly, they're the co-favorites to win it all.

 

Claire can swim, wisecrack, and install contact lenses (even doing the job for Derek in Iceland). She can’t yodel; Derek can’t ride bicycles. If those tests don’t come up in the next episode, they’ll be OK.

 

Luis Colon and Michelle Burgos, the other co-favorites, are all energy. And she’s not just unafraid of heights; she seeks them out. They should do well.

Other thoughts on the Iceland episode:

The scenery was terrific. The Land Rovers, though hard to shift, were easy on the eye. The challenges were straightforward, some ice climbing, some plunging, and, as said, some swimming.

 

There weren’t a lot of Icelanders, though Icelandic actor

Ólafur Darri Ólafsson and his wraparound mustache did show up at the pitstop with Phil Keoghan to greet the Racers at the end of their brief but challenging stay.

 

Overheard

 

Claire: I was your Bond Girl, right?

 

Derek: Yeah.

 

Luis: Wow, I feel so manly now

 

Emily: How are we going to survive this?

 

Derek: It was not a car; it was like a spaceship.

 

David: I’m concerned about how I’m going to get out of this roadblock. I’m not a good swimmer, but finally, it’s now or never.

 

Michelle: We’re going snorkeling, baby.

 

Luis: I could see my lips turning blue.

 

Claire: I grew up in the water.

 

Derek: Claire has a picture-perfect memory.

 

Aubrey: Phil, I’ve watched you since I was in second grade. It’s so cool to be standing in front of you.

 

Order of Finish

 

1. Derek Xiao, Claire Rehfuss (Big Brother graduates, dating couple)

2. Luis Colon, Michelle Burgos (Married couple)

3.  Emily Bushnell, Molly Sinert (Long-lost twins)

 

Eliminated

 

4. Aubrey Ares, David Hernandez (Ballroom dancers)

 

 

 

 

Amazing Race Mega Leg reveals the aerialist in its midst

 The Amazing Race

 

Season 34, Episode 8b (second half)

 

By Jim Memmott

Ronda, Spain – From the beginning of the second half of this Mega Leg, background shots of the bridge kept popping up.

 

Veteran race watchers knew what was going on. The Racers were probably going to have to bungee jump from the bridge. They would be terrified. They would scream. We would look the other way.

As it happened, there was no bungee jumping. Instead, one member of each team, wired up for safety, had to walk on a high wire across the gap. On the other side, there were five flags on a wall. They had to bring back the right flag, the Andalusian flag, or go back again.

 

Michele Burgos, race partner with her husband, Luis Colon, (above left) was the first to the wire.

 

Was she scared? No. Did she scream? Yes. With delight.

 

Indeed, Michele went full Walenda, gliding across on the wire, choosing the right flag and then heading off along with Luis to a garden honoring Ernest Hemingway and Orson Welles. They finished will ahead of the other four teams and won a trip to Tokyo.

 

Michelle’s triumph was a strange and wonderful moment for The Amazing Race. Finally, there was someone who leaned into danger, someone who had absolutely no fear of taking a 300-foot plunge.

 

Not so, Claire Rehfuss. She shook as she took one cautious step, then another, then another on the high wire. She wasn’t just afraid of heights, she was terrified.

 

Thank heavens, Claire and her partner Derek Xiao were in an alliance with David Hernandez and Aubrey Ares. (Earlier, they had teamed up on the flamingo dance/memory challenge.)

 

Aubrey walked a wire beside Claire. Aubrey was scared, as well. But Aubrey knew what flag to grab. She instructed Claire to do the same. Thus, Claire did not have to cross the gap again.

 

Good thing. After finishing, she was a wreck, doubled over with relief and residual terror.

 

Which raises the question, why was she doing the arial challenge at all? Well, Derek said she should because she had the better memory. She would know which flag to choose.

 

David encouraged Aubrey to go because she had the better balance.

 

Men. They know how to get out of a chore. Could be doing the dishes, or putting the kids to bed, or walking on a wire a mile above certain death. Men.

 Remember Episode 5 of Season 33? Sheri Cook had to bungee jump into a vast chasm. She was terrified, saying “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.” Why didn’t husband Akbar do the drop? Too heavy. Oh sure. Men.

 

Anyway. Aubrey/David finished second, Claire/Derek third, followed by the twins, Emily Bushnell and Molly Sinert.

 

The Mega Leg was a struggle for the sisters, Molly’s bum knee slowing them down. Still, Molly zipped across the wire, got the right clue, and they made it to the finishing mat.

 

Last, and eliminated, were the brothers, Marcus and Michael Craig (left, CBS), taking Emily Morgan and Drew Mokris out of the pool.

 

Once again, the Craigs got lost, their navigational skills failing them. It’s too bad they’re gone, but as the season went on, they seemed to lose their edge. Life isn’t fair, especially if you can’t use GPS.

 

Overheard

 

Michelle: As nice as Luis and I are, we’re very competitive.

 

Michael: We have to have like flawless navigation from here on out.

 

Aubrey: I’ve been in costume since I was three years old.

 

Michelle: Oh, I love heights. ... This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I love you baby, thank you for letting me do this.

 

Luis: She’s crazy. I love it.

 

Orson Welles:  A man is not from where he is born, but where he chooses to die.

 

David: I just told her, don’t look down.

 

Claire: I think this is one of the worst things I’ve ever done.

 

Marcus: Today is not our day, not even a little bit.

 

Order of finish:

 

1. Luis Colon, Michelle Burgos (Married couple)

2. Aubrey Ares, David Hernandez (Ballroom dancers)

3. Derek Xiao, Claire Rehfuss (Big Brother graduates, dating couple)

4.  Emily Bushnell, Molly Sinert (Long-lost twins)

 

Eliminated

 

5.  Marcus and Michael Craig (Military brothers)

 

 

Amazing Race 34 continues in an open-ended manner

  

 

The Amazing Race

 

Season 34, Episode 8 (first half)

 

By Jim Memmott

 

Malaga, Spain – Megaleg? Mega yawn?

 

For the second time this season, The Amazing Race staged a Megaleg, essentially a one-hour broadcast with no conclusion, to be followed by another one-hour broadcast with an elimination.

This week, in the first half, the remaining five teams took on two challenges in Malaga.

 

First, one racer had to align, front to back, three large glass panels, each printed with a part of a Picasso painting, to recreate the painting. A statue of Picasso, who was a Malaga native, looked on, oblivious to the stress of the Race.

 

Next, the duos had to either cook sardines on skewers (kind of icky) or, using a paddle board, transport a big bucket of ice and some life jackets out to some offshore party-hearty Spaniards (kind of hard).

 

So all of that was entertaining. Why that earlier crack about a Mega yawn?

 

Well, there’s not much suspense during an hour when you know no one will be getting the heave ho from host Phil Keoghan. (Photo, CBS)

At the beginning of the season, Phil trumpeted the fact that there would be no non-elimination legs this season. It would mean more drama, more competition, etc.

 

Regardless, there have been three hours (two Megaleg first halfs and a Covid-impacted episode) when no one has been eliminated. We’ve known from the start of those hours that there would be no tears at the end. Hence, the yawn.

 

I’ll stop whining. As always, there were lots of revealing moments as the Race plot thickened.

Here’s what seems to be going on, team by team:

Derek Xio and Claire Rehfuss, the dating graduates of The Bachelor, in the lead at the halfway mark of the episode, continue to shine, quipping and mugging (Claire, especially) their way through the challenges.

Oddly, Derek proved to be terrified of bicycling, a new one for The Amazing Race, during which racers must steel themselves to bungee off tall buildings, not hop on a two-wheeler.

Aubrey Ares and David Hernandez: The Ballroom dancers upped their game. Though they were

near elimination in some of the earlier episodes, the couple (left) had a strong showing during this hour. Aubrey gained significant time in the Picasso challenge; David was a whiz at the fish fry, that challenge made easier by a tip from Derek, yes his competitor, to salt the fish.

 

Luis Colon and Michelle Burgos: Now known as Miami, a nod to their hometown, chose the most demanding challenge, the one involving a paddle board, and aced it.

Oh sure, they spilled a little ice, but they saved enough to complete the task. Most impressively, they remained upbeat throughout. Good heavens, they’re having fun.

Emily Bushnell and  Molly Sinert: Golly, they’re likeable, and they’ve got a terrific backstory (adopted as infants by different families, they discovered each other as grownups).

 

But Emily’s bum knee isn’t getting any better, and she was clearly in pain from the start of the race when she had to hobble down a steep walkway. It doesn’t look good.

 

Marcus and Michael Craig: What in the world is going on? The military brothers were favorites for the $1 million first prize at the start of the Race. Now, they can’t get out of their own way.

Marcus (near left) lost far too much time on the Picasso challenge because he kept forgetting to flip the back panel.  He slapped his head; I slapped mine.

Overheard:

 

Claire: It’s really important we don’t get lost and we don’t burn ourselves out.

 

Aubrey: I’m not going to say the claws are coming out, but they’re slowly coming out.

 

Emily: I knew I’d be hurting. I didn’t think I would be hurting this soon.

 

Derek: I get a panic attack when I’m peddling.

 

Marcus: I have zero confidence at this point.

 

Claire: My passion is salt, not so much fish.

 

David. Today, Derek saved us.

 

Aubrey: This is why we absolutely love Derek and Claire.

 

Where they are at the episode's halfway mark:

 

1. Claire Rehfuss, Derek Xiao, (Big Brother grads, dating couple)

2. Aubrey Ares, David Hernandez (Ballroom dancers)

3. Michelle Burgos, Luis Colon (Married couple)

4.  Emily Bushnell, Molly Sinert (Long-lost twins)

5.  Marcus and Michael Craig (Military brothers)