Yikes, the anti-climax is back in The Amazing Race

Amazing Race 37 Episode 9

 

By Jim Memmott

 

Naples, Italy –The non-elimination leg – a gimmick from years past that seemed to have been eliminated from the Amazing Race bag of tricks – is back.

Thus, the over-thinking Nguyen siblings, Han and Holden, finished last in a field of five only to be given a reprieve by host Phil Keoghan. They locked arms, spun, danced, happy as they have ever been. We’ll see them again.

 

The producers had sworn off non-elimination episodes with Season 35.

Maybe they had gotten out-out-of hand. Remember the Covid-plagued, but wonderful, Season 33 shown in 2022 but filmed during the pandemic?

The father-daughter team of Arun and Natalia Kumar was elminated in Episode 4. Then the filming was interrupted by Covid. Eliminated teams could return for the restart. The Kumars came back and were non-elminated twice before they were finally eliminated.

But memory tells me that the team that is non-eliminated in one episode is faced with a penalty in the next. Phil didn’t mention that to the Nguyens. Stay tuned. They may have some trouble ahead.

 

Other news. Jonathan and Ana Towns breezed through the episode and finished first.

Why? Jonathan has a love of stringed instruments (he had to put one together in one challenge) and Ana worked at Domino’s making pizzas when in high school (she had to put one together in another challenge).

 

In still other news.

Carson McCalley’s pizzas were pretty awful;

thus his attempts to make a good one took forever. His race partner, and best friend, Jack Dodge, did get to eat all of the failed efforts. They finished fourth. Along they way, they were often lost. It's their brand.
 

Brett Hamby and Mark Romain took second, another strong showing.

Alyssa and Josiah Burden were third. For them, it was a bumpy outing. Still, they did not use their Express Pass. Thus, they are in good shape for Episode 10, the last time they can use the pass.

 

Even though no team was eliminated, the episode was far from a waste. The star of the show may have been Naples itself, its buildings, its vistas, and its food. Grazie, grazie, grazie.

 

Overheard

 

Alyssa: Our goal for this leg is not to use it (the Express Pass)

 

Josiah: Sometimes I say Italian words with a Spanish accent and hope for the best.

 

Carson: If anyone is going to put the fun in "funicular," it’s us.

 

Holden: You’re in race brain, freeze.

 

Han: The language barrier was the main difficulty of that challenge.

 

Carson: I’m self-proclaimed America’s worst cook.

 

Ana: We really needed this win to remind us we still have it.

 

Order of finish Episode 9

 

Ana and Jonathan

Brett and Mark

Alyssa and Josiah

Carson and Jack

Han and Holden