I don't know why people are complaining ! Both of these legs went great.
Leg 7:
#ZIMBABWAY:
Kinda disappointed that they chose a country they visited 3 seasons ago, but this was actually a pretty leg. I quite frankly enjoyed the views and I don't have any issues, except for the fact that teams would have been exhausted by the time they'd cover the leg. Imagine traveling on a 17 hour flight across a continent, varying time zones, different climates, and then landing and traveling by road to your next destination. Sounds cumbersome.
Intersection?:
As someone else pointed out, they really need better naming conventions for new tasks and twists. But I'm not complaining. I was really looking forward to seeing an intersection, so I guess the intersection found a way into this leg.
Did I hate the partner swap? Not really. There was not that big of a deal with it anyways, so it was good I guess. What I do wish for is that the race would have forced teams together, it would have been more dramatic and funny.
A view to admire or Be stuck in a Quagmire:
A well balanced detour which literally divided between the brains and brawn. If you chose the smarter side you got these picturesque and gorgeous views and just pay minor attention to detail, and then panic when you really had to put in your knowledge (*cough* Kristi and Jessica). If you chose the rougher side you had to struggle, I mean struggle. While their partners had a tough time solving their side of the detour, Cody and Jen aced theirs. The other 2 composite teams... not so much. It was funny at one point when Conor was panicking ("My life is a mud pit I'm stuck in") and all in all the chaos was beautiful.
PIT-STOP AND WINNERS AND LOSERS:
WINNER: Brittany and Alex
Practically the only team that worked in complete harmony were this duo. They worked hand in hand, and they even had a fun time doing it. In addition to this the other half of their teams also checked in early and they secured 1st.
LOSER: Cody and Jen
They rocked this leg to the core and even came in 1st, but couldn't take the place on the mat due to their other teammates. It really wasn't Kristi's strength to solve puzzles, but Jessica flopped it.
LOSER: Kristi and Jessica
They came in LAST. Jessica has a newfound enemy of Evan who she even threatened to punch. They got so distracted by the views that they messed up the order and missed the entire crux of the detour. It kinda reminded me of Jazmine and Danielle from s27. But still, Kristi and Jessica worked in harmony, contrary to what I had thought.
LOSER: Eric and Henry
Don't you just hate it when you get stuck in a mud bog? Not relatable? Unfortunately enough, these 2 were badly stuck in the middle of the pit, and both Henry and Eric had to work together to free the car. They worked out fine as a team but the mud-pit really deemed itself to be an impediment to them. [Is it just me or did anyone else find it sexist when Eric said "It's good that Evan is doing that challenge, seems more suited to the female mind" ? Maybe I'm just getting offended easily]
LOSER: Conor and Lucas
Ditto as Eric and Henry, except it was all the more funnier. Lucas was pulling the team together, whereas Conor contemplated on whether or not he should've helped Lucas bring the car out of mud. Other than that a hilarious run, and they ultimately even won 1st place.
WINNER: Daniel and Evan
Not really winners as such, but logical and methodological approaches to challenges with sagacity and strategy surprisingly help. While Daniel and Evan did enjoy the view they also got the task on their first attempt, they firmly decline Kristi and Jessica's plea for help and walked away. Adding to their firm relationship they developed in the former leg, I guess debating does give you a synergy with others.
Leg 8:
What's a Haberdashery anyways?:
Teams immediately left off to their next leg in the capital city. It looks surprisingly pretty and looks like a commercial capital. Evan's ability to say "no" quickly gave her some new foes (It rhymed!) and her opponents caught up FAST. Teams scrambled through the congested streets of Harare and get to an out of the blue U-turn. Remember all those times when Jessica offered help and scampered away without any provocation? Karma is a B.
Lucas and Brittany owe them the righteous serving and u-turn them without haste. Influenced by this, their composite partners also attempt to eliminate their threat(s), Henry and Evan.
By the by, Conor a haberdashery refers to sewing materials. For some reason, I knew that.
NO POSTAL SERVICES ON SUNDAY!! vs. They see me rollin' they hatin':
Truly, the detour of this leg was intriguing and much better than previous season's detour. The mall looked super cool! And the detour was so simple yet the teams that attempted them struggled. It looked fun and chaotic and I look forward to more detours like this. The other half of the detour was also so stressful. It reminded me of s17e2's detour mixed with s27e10 detour(s). Simple traveling and navigating through a crowd.
No roadblock no problemo:
What could have been an excellent roadblock in an aesthetically pleasing park was made into a task. I mean I don't have any complaints, it could have been a roadblock, but in production defense, the teams woke up at the crack of a dawn at 4 AM, put their minds to the use, fought in a mosh pit, traveled all the way from a conservatory to a big city, fought and yelled like crazy, and then sang.
Chained to the Rhythm?:
4 of the 6 teams were deathly terrified of a singing and dancing task, and oh-boy their fears got to them. Kristi and Jen, Alex and Conor, Daniel and Eric and Brittany and Lucas (Ok technically only Lucas) were scared of a task that involved singing. They couldn't get their beat with the pace, couldn't enunciate quickly, lacked diction, and couldn't even groove to the beat. All this gave even the u-turned teams an opportunity to catch up.
WINNERS AND LOSERS:
WINNER: Brittany and Lucas - They got another leg in the hatchet equalling them with team Xtreme. What's more, they even danced well and the crowd cheered, plus they got ice cream! yay
LOSER: Kristi and Jen - Actually another relatively successful leg for the dynamic duo, but the way the singing task tore down Kristi's mental core was tough. Ultimately they started the leg in last place, but they caught up and started the singing in 1st, and reached only 2nd. Moreover Jen accidentally helped Evan at the detour even though Evan refused to reciprocate in the previous leg, but ah it happens I guess. I think they're the only team who are well prepared and can predict how tough the race actually is, and their competitive spirit and their synergy is what leads their victorious ways.
WINNER: Henry and Evan - They were u-turned yet they came out on top. They successfully micromanaged and completed tasks. 'Decide, commit and succeed' is like their motto. They develop strategies with sharp acumen and stick to them, and they don't even fuel each other's arguments, making them a perfect team. Its so nice that they compared the detour to a head to head yet they rose against the odds (leg 2?)
LOSER: Conor and Alex - They went massively off track in the detour and even pulled a John and Jessica by loading their tires into someone else' truck. Fortunately they made up time, and Alex even made him singing in africa a lifetime achievement of his. 3rd place, not bad.
LOSER: Cody and Jessica - They messed their leg up. They were u-turned, and even though they were able to make up time, they couldn't keep up in the singing challenge because Jessica was distracted and mocking others' performances, and Cody refused to rehearse. They barely avoided elimination; again, making them a weak link. Here's to hope that they catch up.
LOSER: Eric and Daniel - You can't sing and you can't perform you lose. They barely avoided elimination, but they ended up out of the race anyways.
Am I sad to see them go? No. They were boring and should've frankly gotten out in the 2nd leg when one of them pushed April's cart and took the lead. IMO the goat yoga moms would've been way more fun.
Are they sad to see themselves go? Probably not. They shrug it off. Back to the firehouse you go.
EPISODE TITLE QUOTE: Why aren't there any episode title quotes for the various episodes? It's unfair.
Next week: another 2 hour episode what is going on + Bahrain! They've only visited it once before right?
+ passport drama, wonder whether it's a case of Kaylani and Lisa or Becca and Floyd or James and Abba.
