Amazing Race 37: The Jerk Factor is back

Amazing Race 37 Episode 10

 

By Jim Memmott

 

Strasbourg, France – Ten episodes down; two to go. The Race is about to end.

 

We move from penultimate one night and ultimate the next. By 11 p.m., May 15, a new winning team will have been crowned.

 

First question: Who will win?

The favorites would have to be Carson

McCalley and his buddy and fellow gamer, Jack Dodge. That, at least, is what analytics tells me. The lower the score the better, and adding up all their finishes lands them a score of 27.

 

Next in line with be the married nurses, Alyssa and Josiah Borden (left) with a score of 32. Right behind them with a 33 are the wife-and-husband team of Ana and Jonathan Towns.

 

The siblings Han and Holden Nguyen, come in with a score of 55, so it’s a fair bet that they will not make the three-team final. Indeed, they are an underdog for the ages, and it’s a wonder they are still in the Race.

 

What happened to Brett and Mark?

 

The married Las Vegas performers were one of the stronger teams, and yet they were eliminated in Episode 10, taking Judith Hunter out of the pool.

Brett and Mark had a bad outing in part because it was a self-driving episode, and they got lost, more than once. It was too bad for them, and too bad for the viewers at home. Watching people try to read road signs and drive in the wrong direction gets old. Bring back the taxis.

 

What’s with Jonathan?

 

I’ve complained in the past that the Race was beginning to lose its jerk factor. There were too many nice contestants, too many competitors who got along with their partners and everyone else. Missing in action have been Racers we love to hate.

 

Missing no more. Jonathan, who had villain potential early, has come into his own. He pouts. He doesn’t accept responsibility for his own mistakes. And he consistently blames Ana for dragging him down. “You’re a terrible partner,” he tells her. “You’re going to get us eliminated. It’s not funny.”

 

What’s with Alyssa and Josiah?

 

In Episode 10 they found themselves struggling with the cheese tasting challenge. All the while, they debated whether to use the Express Pass they had to use or lose by the end of the episode.

 

Alyssa said play it; Josiah said not yet. Good grief, why not? Finally, they played the pass and went on to second place. Alyssa broke down with relief. Josiah hugged her. Let’s hope they return to being their cheerful and resilient selves.

 

Overheard:

 

Han: The motto we’re going to embrace is, ‘You don’t need to be perfect.”

 

Mark: Well, we followed the directions. Where is it? We cannot be the only ones who got this lost.

 

Carson: We’re nerds, so jousting is right up our ally.

 

Jack: We love cheese, simple as that.  Never met a cheese I didn’t like.

 

Jonathan: We could have been in first, but my wife got mixed up on the cheese tasting.

 

Mark: We’re going to win this leg.

 

Order of finish Episode 10

 

Carson and Jack

Alyssa and Josiah

Ana and Jonathan

Han and Holden

 

Eliminated: Brett and Mark