The Amazing Race
Season 34, Episode 4
By Jim Memmott
Petra, Jordan – There was sand, lots of sand. Camels, lots of camels, too.
For the first time ever, The Amazing Race was in the Kingdom of Jordan, wowing the Racers and host Phil Keoghan and, perhaps, just perhaps, the audience, too.
To be honest, the scenery from the Wadi Rum desert in this episode may have been more absorbing than the Race itself, as the challenges did not seem that challenging.
We're still waiting for a plunge from the heavens or some demanding dining. Then again, there could be a more serious challenge ahead, as Covid may be awaiting in the wings.
The married couple team of Michelle Burgos and
Luis Colon (right, CBS) finished a surprising first in this episode. They were driven by his good performance on the Roadblock, finding a metal plate buried in the sand. They also made quick work of a slide puzzle, one of the Detours.
Likeable as they are, Michelle and Luis weren’t the stars of the segment.
In the last episode, Sharik had a terrible outing and had to be talked out of quitting.
In this episode, she stood back and did exasperated commentary on her dad's sand-searching strategy.
Finally, they went onto the Detour, where they chose, surprise, the harder of the two challenges, one that involved lugging lots of water, toting some hay and feeding a camel.
That done, they were last to the finish line in the Petra Great Temple. Phil sent them packing, maybe doing them a favor. Their eviction sent this blogger out of Amazing Race Pool. I’m not bitter. Really.
In other news
Military brothers Marcus and Michael Craig (Below, CBS) still look like Race
favorites. They fell to third place in this episode, but only because they chose the hungry camel challenge.
They're physically fit, obsessive, analytical and competitive. Put your money on them.
Reunited twins Emily Bushnell and Molly Sinert were the second-strongest team prior to this episode. However, Emily pulled a muscle, and they finished fifth this time around. That could be a harbinger of bad things to come, or just a one-off. We’ll see.
Claire Rehfuss could be a break-out star, at least she’s a lot of fun, even if, or perhaps because, she can’t yodel. (See Episode 2). Turns out that she works in artificial intelligence. That’s got to help down the road.
Once again, the newlyweds Glenda and Lumumba Roberts are proving to be one of the sweetest and most optimistic duos in Race history.
Lumumba wasn’t fazed as he kept discovering soda cans, not the metal plate clue, in the sand. Good heavens, they even hold hands as they move through the challenges.
Speaking of challenges, we’re getting some reminders that Season 34 was filmed from May to June in 2022, while Covid was still a concern.
The Racers are masked up fairly often, though perhaps a little erratically, and they don’t really mix with the locals, though, in this episode they weren't driving the cars, a return to pre-Covid procedures.
In showing the masks, producers may be preparing us for Episode 6. The previews for that leg show Phil holding up a phone and saying to someone, "unfortunately, we have received a positive Covid test from you." Thus, it would seem that reality will soon intrude on reality TV.
Overheard
Will Freeman: This is more of a patience challenge than anything else, and she (Abbey Garrett) can get a little impatient.
Glenda Roberts: Being optimistic has really worked out for us.
Linton Atkinson: We’ve got to finish what we started.
Lumumba Roberts: Aliens like their beverages.
Glenda: Let’s go; we’re in a fricking race.
Will: Abby loves puzzles.
Glenda: This race has really helped our marriage.
Michelle Burgos: I thought I was going to give up and he (Luis) wouldn’t let me give up.
Cindy Schmitt (to this blogger): Look on the bright side, if they (Linton and Sharik) get out, you can just relax and do the blog.
Sharik Atkinson: This (the Race) was the most physically demanding thing I’ve had to do.
Linton: This experience has brought us closer.
Order of Finish
1. Luis Colon, Michelle Burgos (Married couple)
2. Derek Xiao, Claire Rehfuss (Big Brother graduates)
3. Marcus Craig, Michael Craig (Military brothers)
4. Abby Garrett, Will Freeman (Childhood sweethearts)
5. Emily Bushnell, Molly Sinert (Long-lost twins)
6. Quinton Peron, Mattie Lynch (Former LA Rams cheerleaders)
7. Glenda Roberts, Lumumba Roberts (Newlyweds)
8. Aubrey Ares, David Hernandez (Ballroom dancers)
Eliminated:
9. Linton Atkinson, Sharik Atkinson (Father/daughter)
