Final Cast Rankings:
Brendon & Rachel: Great. Brendon & Rachel continued to be a very fun and rootable team. They did tasks all by themselves, they toned it down a lot, they had a lot of memorable moments, but unfortunate mistakes at the Finale (and Asian Sterling
) did them in. Still, they were the brightest spot of the entire Final 6. And Rachel was very very calm up until the final 2 legs <3
Natalie & Nadiya: They only lasted one leg, but the hilarious fighting hot mess Twinnies were in full force. A HUGE disappointment they didn’t even make the second leg and were screwed by a luck task/leg.
Jessica & John: Jessica/John are living proof that even the most WTF racers to bring back can become a <333333 team. Jessica powered through tasks while cocky John was nowhere to be found. They ran through legs being a very very nice engaged team, and the way they went out was completely and horribly sad. I wish them nothing but the best for their future <3
Margie & Luke: Another shocker. After hating them completely on TAR18, Margie/Luke reminded me why I liked them on TAR14 in the first place. Margie was a strong and independent old racer who definitely would have crushed Dave in the old department. Luke, while still melting down on Leg 4 and occasional times, wasn’t as meltdown-y as he was on TAR18, and them being basically screwed over like Chester & Ephraim was surprising and sad. The only bearable three-peater of this cast.
Caroline & Jennifer: While they had some questionable behaviour this time around, i.e them in the “Accidental Alliance” and their whole Leg 2 debacle as well as their answer-sharing, Caroline & Jennifer are definitely NOT a weak team. It sickens me that people would rather criticise them than see them doing well at tasks. (They got the best performance from the non-first flights in Leg 4? They aced the Spanish Steps Roadblock even though they were dead last? They raced in Leg 11 all around in the top 2? They almost won?) Caroline & Jen in the end was a great team, and they should have won the Race. Considering how they lost, it was really really horrible.
Joey & Meghan: They were much more toned down and invisible this time around and perhaps performed as the worst 9th-placers in Amazing Race history. A very very disappointing performance from a very consistent team from TAR22. They still both enjoyed the experience however, and the fact that they are currently friends with the Twinnies is <3.
Mark & Mallory: While Mallory was still bright and happy (for one leg at least), Mark pulled the team down (and NOT Mallory as the FB fans said
) Very very sad to see them both implode like that.
Leo & Jamal: The more tolerable and fun Afghanimals return. They raced well, they appreciated their experience, and they were the best M/M team of the season i.e the only tolerable M/M. Very very sad that they came up short in the penultimate leg once again.
*gap*
Flight Time & Big Easy: While they weren’t being incredibly loud and obnoxious like TAR18, they raced absolutely horribly. They were literally stuck in 7th and 6th place for almost the entire Race. While they in return became the true underdogs of the season, they absolutely should have been eliminated a much longer time than they were eliminated in.
*major gap*
Jet & Cord: While they weren’t as bad as they were on TAR18, the Cowboys were still the same old Cowboys I hated back then at times. The fact that the casuals worship them is completely appalling, and I wish I never have to see them on TAR or any show ever again.
*deep deep deeper gap*
Dave & Connor: Not just the worst winners ever of The Amazing Race, but the worst team EVER. Dave & Connor were boring and annoying on TAR22 as well as horrible people (Cheating on Pam & Winnie at the Roadblock on Leg 4
), and on TAR24 they not only became boring and annoying, they used hypocrisy and bullying to give them an even worse personality. Combine that with the constant “I’M SIXTY!!!!” from Dave, and the fact that they kept whining about the U-Turn for three consecutive legs, as well as launching a full on alliance to take out Brendon & Rachel for just U-Turning them, and even going on a full-on mockery of Brendon & Rachel in Switzerland, they are incredibly incredibly unbearable to watch. Not to mention being hypocrites, they whine about being U-Turned and using the U-Turn and then they U-Turn a team themselves? They are the worst parent-child team ever, and now, they are the worst winners ever, and Dave is the worst old person to run the Race and win, and they broke the Leg 3 curse too and the Roadblocks WTF Dave/Connor? At least now we never ever have to see them again. People might say I’m biased just because I love Brendon & Rachel, but back then, I liked Vanessa & Ralph. I thought they were a fun team at times, and their animosity with Rachel was mainly entertaining. Dave & Connor though are definitely Vanessa & Ralph 2.0, but without Vanessa’s ankle story (MUCH better story than an Achilles tendon definitely
) and their no-nonsense, get **** done attitude. So so so insufferable.