Topic: Racing report TAR28, episode 11 is on page 1

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Racing report
Amazing Race Season 28, Episode 1, "I Should've Been a Boy Scout""
Film date: 2015-11-15 - 2015-11-16

This season starts a little different from what they usually do. Teams are at home and pretending that the camera crew isn't there when a phone chimes, with a video message from Phil. Phil tells them they will visit 18 cities, 10 countries, travel more than 27,000 miles. And all in 21 day. He also tells them he has their next clue at the Monument of the revolution in Mexico City, Mexico. So when he says go they should grab their bags and make their way to him. He then does the usual starting line spiel and starts the race.

This season has a cast of solcial meadia stars. The 11 teams are:

• Tyler & Korey, Youtube stars, friends
• Burnie & Ashley, runs a vido channel about video games, dating
• Erin & Joslyn, hosts & producers at Clevver media Youtube channel, friends
• Darius & Cameron, makes Vimes, brothers
• Scott & Blair, Blair make makeup and hair tutorials on Youbube, Scott is an Ob-Gyn, fater & daugther
• Dana & Matt, Youtube dancers, engaged
• Marty & Hagan, Marty did a viral safety demonstration video, mother & daugther
• Brittany & Jessica, instagram models, friends
• Zach & Rachel, Zach make magical Vimes, newly married
• Brodie & Kurt, makes frisbee videos on Youtube, friends
• Sheri & Cole, Cole makes funny Vimes, Mother & son

Some teams run into each other at the airports. There seems to be some flirting going on between Brittay & Jessica and Cole.
 "Are we cougars?", Brittany feels old compared to Cole, but still interested

Teams fly from Los Angeles, Dallas, Atlanta and Miami to Mexico city. Even though it is not shown we know that the first teams were held in the Mexico City airport until all had arrived. This was needed to make the leg fair since they started from different cities. Once released teams run through the airport and jump in taxis and ask to go to the monument.

In front of the monument (11km 21min) teams run into Phil who stands next to the clue box and in front of a colorfully lit fountain. They grab the clues in the following order:
  1. Brodie & Kurt
  2. Brittany & Jessica
  3. Marty & Hagan
  4. Erin & Joslyn
  5. Burnie & Ashley
  6. Dana & Matt
  7. Darius & Cameron
  8. Tyler & Korey
  9, Scott & Blair
 10. Zach & Rachel
 11. Sheri & Cole

Detour: Mariachi Madness or Great Bulls of Fire

In Mariachi Madness teams must make their way on foot to Plaza Garibaldi (1.8km). Here they will find 350 Mariachi players in a big circle. They must find one who is just pretending to play and bring him/her to the band leader to get their next clue.

In Great Bulls of Fire teams must make a Torrito. That is they must assemble and decorate a wooden frame around a paper machie bull. Once approved they get to light a similar one which has been loaded with fireworks. This detour takes place on the top of a parking garage.

 "I should've been a boy scout", Blair gets the title

The clue seems to say that teams must make their way to the detour on foot. And so begins a crash course in The Amazing Race. Things have been fairly easy up until this point, but suddenly contestants find themselves frantically lost among the confusing streets of a foreign city after dark. Many teams seem to have trouble finding the detour locations.

 "WHO IS FAKE PLAYING?", Brodie yells and hope to make short work of the detour (no luck though)

The Mariachi task looks overwhelming with 350 musicians, but it seems as if teams find a player who is faking it fairly quickly. All the faking players pretend to play the trumpet. The only ones stumbling are Brodie & Kurt who pick the guy with the GoPro camera, unfortunately he turns out to be playing for real.

Sheri & Cole run into a guy carrying a guitar who they ask to play a bit. He obliges but that does not produce a clue so eventually they reread their clue.
 "So he's a real Mariachi, we need one who is pretending to play", Sheri

Teams complete the detours in the following order:
  1(+0) Brodie & Kurt, Mariachi
  2(+2) Erin & Joslyn, Mariachi
  3(+3) Dana & Matt, Mariachi
  4(+7) Sheri & Cole, Mariachi
  5(+5) Zach & Rachel, Mariachi
  6(+2) Tyler & Korey, fireworks
  7(-4) Marty & Hagan, fireworks
  8(-3) Burnie & Ashley, fireworks
  9(+0) Scott & Blair fireworks
 10(-8) Brittany & Jessica, fireworks
 11(-4) Darius & Cameron, fireworks

Route info: "Make your way to the Cuervos de Teotihuacan"

When teams arrive at Cuevos de Teotihuacan (46km 45min) they find a board with departure time tokens. Teach reach this in the following order:
  1(+2) Dana & Matt, will depart at 07:30
  2(-1) Brodie & Kurt, will depart at 07:30
  3(-1) Erin & Joslyn, will depart at 07:30
  4(+0) Sheri & Cole, will depart at 07:30
  5(+0) Zach & Rachel, will depart at 07:40
  6(+0) Tyler & Korey, will depart at 07:40
  7(+0) Marty & Hagan, will depart at 07:40
  8(+1) Scott & Blair, will depart at 07:40
  9(+1) Brittany & Jessica, will depart at 07:50
 10(+1) Darius & Cameron, will depart at 07:50
 11(-3) Burnie & Ashley, will depart at 07:50

In the extra material we see that teams camped out on a nearby porch. Production seems to have provided sleeping bags and mattresses.

The next morning at their departure time teams are let though the gate and can run up to the next clue box.

Road block: "Who is ready to pick up the pieces?"

After choosing who will perform this road block teams open the clue. It reads: "Reconstruct a Teotihuacano Indian ceremonial artifact with fragments you unearth from the archeological site in Las Cuevas de Teotihuacan to receive your next clue."

The additional information reads:

Additional Information:

* You must wear the provided safety equipment.

* Enter Las Cuevas at the marked entrance.

* Choose a numbered excavation site, once chosen you may not switch.

* You need 13 fragments to reconstruct an artifact.

* Take your fragments and follow the drums to find the artifacts.  Use your fragments to reconstruct one of the artifacts.

* You must keep your fragments with you at all times.

* If the Teotihuacano Judge approves of your artifact he will hand you your next clue.

The safety equipment turns out to be a helmet with a couple of extra lights which ligths up the contestants face and make it a bt harder to see. Everything then takes place underground.

 "I'm claustrophobic", Sheri does not feel good going into the cave

There are lots of small ligths placed in the caves so it is fairly easy to find your way. But there are some tight passages, which doesn't help the claustrophobic racers. Eventually they all reach the digging site. To make the task a bit harder the producers have hidden pieces of multiple masks of different colors in each site. But only one of them seems to have all the pieces. So racers have to figure out for themselves that they need 13 different pieces of the same color.

The next step is to follow the drums. These can't be heard at the digging site, instead racers must follow the ligths a bit further. Some miss this and go back up above ground, but there are no drums to be found there.

Scott is one of the players going back up. While he looks for the drums he spills out some of his puzzle pieces. After a while he realize this, but he still have to spend at least 40 minutes finding all the pieces he has dropped.

In the end there are only three teams left in the caves. Erin and Sheri are digging for pieces and Scott is trying to assembe his mask. This is where Erin brings up the penalty.
 "Do you want to take the penalty?", Erin to Sheri
They decide to take the penalty together if they are the last two teams. but they find Scott at the puzzle site so they keep going a bit more. Just as Erin is close to giving up again she gets it. After getting teh clue she offers to help Sheri.
 "No, you just need to go sweetie", Sheri to Erin

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):

1(+0)	Dana & Matt*	(0-1)
2(+4)	Tyler* & Korey	(1-0)	About 3 minutes after #1
3(+2)	Zach* & Rachel	(1-0)
4(+6)	Darius* & Cameron	(1-0)
5(+6)	Burnie* & Ashley	(1-0)
6(-4)	Brodie & Kurt*	(0-1)
7(+2)	Brittany & Jessica*	(0-1)
8(-1)	Marty* & Hagan	(1-0)
9(-6)	Erin* & Joslyn	(1-0)
10(-6)	Sheri* & Cole	(1-0)
11(-3)	Scott* & Blair	(1-0)	Shortly after #10

The next clue is a route info which tells teams to make their way to the next pit stop next to the Museo Soumaya (52km 52min).

So now there is a taxi race. Tyler & Korey actually passes Dana & Matt, but the dancers get their driver to step on it and take back the lead. But they are close so there will be a footrace t the finish.

The mood is tense in the ast three taxis as they all know they are figthing to stay in the race.
 "We're driving like we're on a vacation sigthseeing", Erin abouth their slow driver

 "10 is just first with a zero", Cole tries to put a positive spin on teh situation

Teams reach Phil at the pit stop in the following order:
  1(+0) Dana & Matt, win $2K each (not shown)
  2(+0) Tyler & Korey
  3(+0) Zach & Rachel
  4(+0) Darius & Cameron
  5(+0) Brodie & Kurt
  6(+0) Burnie & Ashley
  7(+0) Brittany & Jessica
  8(+0) Marty & Hagan
  9(+1) Sheri & Cole
 10(-1) Erin & Joslyn, about a minute after #9
 11(+0) Scott & Blair, are saved by a non-elimination

 "I'm just happy this isn't the end. I just want to be able to go to more places with my dad", Blair

[maf]

Racing report
Amazing Race Season 28, Episode 2, "You look like Gollum"
Film date: 2015-11-17 - 2015-11-18

The episode starts with a clip from the previous leg with Scott & Blair talking to Phil at the pit stop. Blair admits to having over-packed so she will go through her stuff and throw lots of it away.
 "I brought a hair dryer and a curling iron", Blair confesses

The last pit stop was at Museo Soumaya in Mexico City. And this is also where teams are released the following day after a 24+h pit stop. Teams are released in the following order:

1.	Dana & Matt	13:42
2.	Tyler & Korey	13:43	+0:01
3.	Zach & Rachel	13:57	+0:15
4.	Darius & Cameron	14:07	+0:25
5.	Brodie & Kurt	14:16	+0:34
6.	Burnie & Ashley	14:17	+0:35
7.	Brittany & Jessica	14:29	+0:47
8.	Marty & Hagan	14:34	+0:52
9.	Sheri & Cole	14:43	+1:01
10.	Erin & Joslyn	14:45	+1:03
11.	Scott & Blair	15:04	+1:22

Route info: Fly to the walled city of Cartagena, Colombia. Once teams land they should make their way to Totumo.

We realize that this is the first time teams have had to arrange flights for themselves. And some of them really miss being able to book them online. So some confusion ensues.
 "These are all ticket counters", Matt is adapting

Darius & Cameron are having the greatest difficulties navigating the airport and end up on the last flight. Teams are spread out over four different flights which probably were:

Flight #1:
  AM708   MEX-BOG  18:19 - 23:55  (scheduled 18:09 - 23:58)
  AV9450  BOG-CTG  07:26 - 08:56  (scheduled 07:27 - 08:59)
This carries:
  Dana & Matt
  Tyler & Korey
  Burnie & Ashley
  Brodie & Kurt

Flight #2:
  AM708   MEX-BOG  18:19 - 23:55  (scheduled 18:09 - 23:58)
  AV8556  BOG-CTG  08:13 - 09:53  (scheduled 08:05 - 09:37)
[/tt]
This carries:
  Zach & Rachel
  Brittany & Jessica
  Sheri & Cole
  Erin & Joslyn
  Scott & Blair

Flight #3:
  AM798  MEX-MDE  18:07 - 23:40  ((scheduled 18:01 - 23:30)
  AV9760 MDE-CTG  09:10 - 10:17   (scheduled 08:55 - 10:02)
This carries:
  Marty & Hagan

Flight #4:
  AM708   MEX-BOG  18:19 - 23:55  (scheduled 18:09 - 23:58)
  AV9542  BOG-CTG  08:55 - 10:31  (scheduled 09:00 - 10:32)
This carries:
  Darius & Cameron

Once teams exit the airport they jump into a set of marked taxis. We later learn that the clue said they had to keep their taxi for the entire leg.

Once teams arrive at Totumo (51km 43min) there s a marked stand where a guy hands out clues. Teams reach him in the following order:
  1. Brodie & Kurt
  2. Dana & Matt
  3. Burnie & Ashley
  4. Tyler & Korey
  5. Zach & Rachel
  6. Scott & Blair
  7. Erin & Joslyn
  8. Sheri & Cole
  9. Brittany & Jessica
 10. Marty & Hagan
 11. Darius & Cameron, just as Hagan runs up the volcano

Road block: Who is a hot mess?

Totumo is a mud volcano. That is it looks like a small volcano (about 10m high) and the "crater" is filled with mud. Contestants must submerge themselves in the mud and then look for a satchel containing an emerald in the mud pool. Once they have found one and washed off the emerald inside, there are satchels with other gems as well, they must bring it to an attendant by the beach. This attendant will then point to a clue box a bit out in the water where they can get their next clue.
 "It was like quicksand", Dana about the mud in the "volcano"
 "You look like Gollum", Tyler gets the title when Korey come down the mud volcano

Unfortunately for him Korey drops his emerald while making hos way down the slippery steps and he can not find it again so he have to go up again and find another one.

Here we also learn that Blair did throw away her good bathing suit when lightening her pack during the last pit stop.
 "Daddy, do you have anything I can wear as a bathing suit that isn't a thong", Blair
Fortunately for Blair Rachel is able to lend her something.

This is one of those tasks which favors the first teams to arrive. They have a much easier time since there are more emeralds to be found.

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):

1(+0)	Brodie* & Kurt	(1-1)
2(+1)	Burnie & Ashley*	(1-1)
3(-1)	Dana* & Matt	(1-1)
4(+0)	Tyler & Korey*	(1-1)
5(+1)	Scott & Blair*	(1-1)
6(+1)	Erin & Joslyn*	(1-1)
7(-2)	Zach & Rachel*	(1-1)
8(+0)	Sheri & Cole*	(1-1)
9(+0)	Brittany* & Jessica	(1-1)
10(+1)	Darius & Cameron*	(1-1)
22(-1)	Marty & Hagan*	(1-1)

Despite the swim at the end contestants are still rather muddy when they leave this detour. Which explains why the taxis have plastic sheets protecting their seats.

Route info: Make your way to Moello Farandula Jugos Naturales in Manzanillo del mar.

Teams arrive here (46km 40min) in the following order:
  1(+0) Brodie & Kurt, missed the clue location first
  2(+0) Burnie & Ashley
  3(+0) Dana & Matt
  4(+0) Tyler & Korey
  5(+1) Erin & Joslyn
  6(+2) Sheri & Cole
  7(+0) Zach & Rachel
  8(-3) Scott & Blair
  9(+0) Brittany & Jessica
 10(+0) Darius & Cameron, missed the clue location first
 11(+0) Marty & Hagan

Detour: Pop-up or Parrilla

Both of the detour options take place on a nearby beach.

In pop up teams must complete a shelter. They must dig holes to put the poles in and then place beams and some netting on top. The task is fairy straightforward, but there are some construction details you can miss, and teams do miss them.

In Parrilla teams must prepare and cook three fishes. Once the plates are correctly prepared they may serve them to the party guests to receive their next clue.

We can see that there are only 6 available spots at each detour option.

The 2nd to 4th team to arrive to the beach where the detours take place pass Phil as he live-narrates their progress.

 "I'm disadvantaged by my lack of height, and also my partners lack of communication", Dana
 "No good", The judge doesn't tell teams what is wrong

The clue also tells Scott & Blair to look for their speed bump at the detour. They must help a bunch of local fishermen haul in a giant fishing net and then help them pick up the caught fish.
 "Whoa, it bit me", Blair learns how to not pick up fish
 
We learn that Erin does not like fish after a traumatic childhood experience where a fish got inside a sensitive place of her bathing suit.

The prize for the biggest mistake when building the pop up goes to Zach who starts building their shelter off to the side and not at the marked location. Eventually they realize their error and have to tear down what they have built and start over.

As big as this mistake was it is overshadowed by Mary & Hagan who make a fatal error when they leave their taxi at the juice stand where they got the detour clue and make their way on foot to the beach where the detours take place. The distance seems to be about 1.5km (just under a mile).

 "That's raw dad", Blair have, justified, opinions about her fathers fish frying skills

Darius & Cameron go into this task with confidence. They beat Marty & Hagan in the last task and are sure they can do it here as well. But the race can be a humbling experience and they are the last team to complete the detour.

Team complete the detour in the following order:
  1(+3) Tyler & Korey, pop-up
  2(-1) Brodie & Kurt, pop-up
  3(-1) Burnie & Ashley, pop-up
  4(-1) Dana & Matt, pop-up
  5(+4) Brittany & Jessica, fish
  6(-1) Erin & Joslyn, fish
  7(+0) Zach & Rachel, pop-up
  8(-2) Sheri & Cole, pop-up
  9(-1) Scott & Blair, fish
 10(+1) Marty & Hagan, fish
 11(-1) Darius & Cameron, fish

The next clue is a route info which tells teams to make their way to the next pit stop at Parque de Bolivar in Cartagena.

Marty & Hagan finish ahead of Darius & Cameron, but they left their taxi in town and there are no free taxis on the beach. So they start running.
 "It's for a Pit Stop, Mama", Hagan

They run as hard as they can, until Darius & Cameron's drive pass them. At that time the air seem to go out of them.
 "That is it mom, that mistake cost us the race", Hagan sums it up

The back story which in part explains this is that their driver was very slow. They were therefore disinclined to use him more than necessary. And after picking up the detour clue they got the impression that the detour was just around the corner.

 "And that's why it is important to not give up when another team leaves", Cameron

Teams reach Phil at the mat (20km 36min) in the following order:
  1(+0) Tyler & Korey, win a trip to St Thomas
  2(+0) Brodie & Kurt
  3(+0) Burnie & Ashley
  4(+0) Dana & Matt
  5(+1) Erin & Joslyn
  6(+1) Zach & Rachel
  7(-2) Brittany & Jessica
  8(+0) Sheri & Cole
  9(+0) Scott & Blair
 10(+1) Darius & Cameron
 11(-1) Marty & Hagan, are eliminated

 "Book-smarts doesn't help with international flights", Cameron

 "I'm so proud of her, she couldn't have done any better", Marty about her daughter

[Marionete]

I absolutely LOOVE that there have been so many placement changes so far this season! Definitely helps create suspense and an overall competitive spirit.

[maf]

Racing report
Amazing Race Season 28, Episode 3, "Bros being jocks"
Film date: 2015-11-19

As usual we start with a scene from the last episode. This time it is Dana & Matt who are arguing in the airport.
 "Indecision is the thing that kills the race", Dana

The last pit stop was in Parque de Bolivar Cartagena, Colmbia. And this also seems to be where teams are released the following morning in the following order:

1.	Tyler & Korey	10:05
2.	Brodie & Kurt	10:20	+0:15
3.	Burnie & Ashley	10:26	+0:21
4.	Dana & Matt	10:56	+0:51
5.	Erin & Joslyn	11:35	+1:30
6.	Zach & Rachel	11:36	+1:31
7.	Brittany & Jessica	11:37	+1:32
8.	Sheri & Cole	11:52	+1:47
9.	Scott & Blair	11:57	+1:52
10.	Darius & Cameron	12:29	+2:24

Route info: "Make your way on foot to Plazuela de San Diego and search for your next clue". Teams receive $1 for this leg of the race.

In the plaza, 900m away, teams find a pair of drummers, some dancers and next to them a hat with clues. Teams reach this in the following order:
  1(+0) Tyler & Korey
  2(+0) Brodie & Kurt
  3(+0) Burnie & Ashley
  4(+0) Dana & Matt
  5(+1) Zach & Rachel
  6(+1) Brittany & Jessica
  7(-2) Erin & Joslyn
  8(+0) Sheri & Cole
  9(+0) Scott & Blair
 10(+0) Darius & Cameron

Route info: "Make your way to Castillio San Felipe de Barajas". Once they arrive at the fortress (2.9km) teams follow the sound to a lone trumpeter. Next to him is the entrance to the catacombs, which teams have to search for their next clue.

The catacombs are claustrophobic but the next clue box is easy to find, the only catch is that you have to follow the tunnels for a while. Erin is having a slightly hard time with this task.
 "I am so claustrophobic", Erin
Joslyn talks her through it and they make it without any significant problems.

Teams find the clue in the catacombs in the following order:
  1(+0) Tyler & Korey
  2(+0) Brodie & Kurt
  3(+0) Burnie & Ashley
  4(+0) Dana & Matt
  5(+0) Zach & Rachel
  6(+0) Erin & Joslyn
  7(+0) Brittany & Jessica
  8(+0) Scott & Blair
  9(+0) Sheri & Cole
 10(+0) Darius & Cameron

Detour: "Tickets or Tejo"

In tickets teams must make their way to Carie Plaza (1.4km) and work as attendants on a bus. They must board one of the waiting buses, attract passengers and collect the fares from them. A trip costs 1.800 pesos and they need to collect at least 20.000. Once they are done they must exit the bus and make their way back to the starting point where they will receive the next clue from the supervisor.

In Tejo teams must make their way to Restaurant y Cancha de Tejo Ciracari (4.4km) and throw small metallic discs onto clay targets. What teams do not know is that the targets are coated with gun power so there will be a small explosion whenever they score a direct hit. Each team must hit a total of three targets. This looks a lot like Cornhole, but with explosives.

These tasks are really unbalanced. Tejo takes a few minutes to complete while the bus side takes at least 30 minutes or more. So even though Tejo is further away teams which choose this all end up in front of the teams doing the bus detour.

 "Just a couple of dudes being bros. Just a couple of bros being jocks", Tyler gets the title

On their way to the bus Scott hope they are picking the right detour:
 "I'll put on a show, I will twerk, I don't care", Blair says she will make anything to get through this detour
Later on the bus Blair comes up with a selling slogan which seems to attract passengers:
 "Besos for Pesos" (Kisses for pesos) Blair
Fortunately for her, and the blood pressure of her dad, she doesn't have to actually pay out any kisses.

Teams seem to enjoy both detour options. Tejo involves playing with explosives and tickets interacting with locals.
 "This is one of the best experiences of my whole life", Erin on the bus

Zach & Rachel are the only ones stumbling on this task. Rachel miscounts the money and thinks that the 1.000 pesos notes are worth 10.000 so they exit their bus and jump into a taxi. On their way back they realize their mistake but they have to go back anyway to catch another bus. This costs them a lot of time.
 "I have two tens, and we needed 20 so I think were way over", Rachel mistakes the 1.000 for 10.000

Teams complete the detour in the following order:
  1(+1) Brodie & Kurt, Tejo
  2(-1) Tyler & Korey, Tejo (taxi had trouble finding the place)
  3(+0) Burnie & Ashley, Tejo
  4(+0) Dana & Matt, Tejo
  5(+2) Brittany & Jessica, Tejo
  6(+3) Sheri & Cole, Tejo
  7(+3) Darius & Cameron, Tejo
  8(-2) Erin & Joslyn, tickets
  9(-1) Scott & Blair, tickets, just after #8
 10(-5) Zach & Rachel, tickets, after their second tour with a bus

There are rumors about an unaired, and probably unused, U-turn here.

Route info: "Make your way to Calle San Juán e Dios and search for the marked Mochilla vendor along the wall of Museo Naval del Caribe" This is 7km from the Tejo detour and 5.7km from the tickets start/end.

Teams get their clue from a hat next to the marked vendor in the following order:
  1(+0) Brodie & Kurt
  2(+0) Tyler & Korey
  3(+0) Burnie & Ashley
  4(+0) Dana & Matt, before the first team has competed the challenge
  5(+0) Brittany & Jessica
  6(+0) Sheri & Cole, before the 4th team has completed the challenge
  7(+1) Erin & Joslyn, after #6 has completed the task
  8(-1) Darius & Cameron, just after #7
  9(+0) Scott & Blair
 10(+0) Zach & Rachel, before #7 has completed the task, probably around 18:00

Road block: "Who's left holding the bag?"

In this road block contestants must pick a bag from the stand where they got the clue. They must then search the old town of Cartagena for marked stands. They must search these for two more bags by the same designer. The name of the designer can be found on a label inside the bag. Once they have three matching bags they can give them to the vendor at the starting point to receive their next clue.

The bags are very colorful and the three bags they need to collect look fairly similar. It turns out to help if you can speak Spanish since it is a lot easier to ask for directions then.
 "This is where Joslyn's Spanish would come in very handy", Erin

This road block requires teams to run quite a bit. And it is hot and
humid.

Jessica works together with Cole. Even after she have found all her bags she still sticks around with him. Eventually they come back to the initial stand and get question from their waiting partners.
 "I have them, I'm just trying to help Cole", Jessica
 "Aww, you're so sweet", Sheri
Cole tells Jessica to go ahead so she turns her bags in. What we aren't really shown, but you can see if you know what to look for, is that Cole also picks up a new bag to have a second designer to look for.

Erin and Scott run into each other and decide to work together. The producers then make it look like Erin abandons him, but that doesn't last long.
 "I didn't mean to leave you back there", Erin
 "You got excited, it's okay", Scott doesn't hold a grudge

Darius is the first of the last four teams to find all his bags. But he is confused about who to give the bags to.
 "The name inside the bag says Adriana, So I've got to find Adriana", Darius
Adriana turns out to be hard to find since she is not around. Instead teams are supposed to give the bags to the vendor by the initial stand, something the other teams haven't had any problems figuring out. Darius wastes a lot of time before he realizes this.

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):

1(+0)	Brodie & Kurt*	(1-2)
2(+0)	Tyler* & Korey	(2-1)
3(+0)	Burnie & Ashley*	(1-2)
4(+0)	Dana* & Matt	(2-1)
5(+0)	Brittany & Jessica*	(1-2)
6(+0)	Sheri & Cole*	(1-2)
7(+0)	Erin* & Joslyn	(2-1)
8(+1)	Scott* & Blair	(2-1)
9(+1)	Zach* & Rachel	(2-1)
10(-2)	Darius* & Cameron	(2-1)

Route info: "Make your way on foot to your next Pit Stop at Baluarte de Santiago on the old city wall. Warning, the last team to check in may be eliminated".

 "...may be eliminated, or die", An exhausted Dana reads the clue

Zach heard drums while doing the road block so he thinks he knows where the pit stop is. What he heard were some street musicians who are playing at the last pit stop location. Unfortunate for them this is not the pit stop for this leg. But it is almost on the way to the real pit stop so they would not have lost much time.

Teams arrive at the pit stop (290m) in the following order:
   1(+0) Brodie & Kurt, win a trip to Mykonos, Greece
   2(+0) Tyler & Korey
   3(+0) Burnie & Ashley
   4(+0) Dana & Matt
   5(+0) Brittany & Jessica
   6(+0) Sheri & Cole, received a 30 minute penalty
   7(+0) Erin & Joslyn
   8(+0) Scott & Blair
   9(+0) Zach & Rachel
  10(+0) Darius & Cameron, are eliminated

Sheri & Cole received a 30 minute penalty since Cole took two bags from the initial stand at the road block. This did not affect their placement.

Phil plays with Zach & Rachel as they arrive at the pit stop
 "Zach & Rachel, you probably know where you're at", Phil keeping a stone face
 "Give us the bad news Phil", Zach thinks the news is bad
 "The last team to check in is behind you", Phil see Darius & Cameron approaching

[maf]

Racing report
Amazing Race Season 28, Episode 4, "Get it trending"
Film date: 2015-11-20 - 2015-11-22

The throwback this episode focuses on the how Brodie is interested in Blair. And she is intrigued by his.

The last pits top was at Baluarte de Santiago in Cartagena, Colombia. This is also where teams are released the following morning in the following order:

1.	Brodie & Kurt	10:22
2.	Tyler & Korey	10:30	+0:08
3.	Burnie & Ashley	10:48	+0:26
4.	Dana & Matt	11:19	+0:57
5.	Brittany & Jessica	12:00	+1:38
6.	Sheri & Cole	12:44	+2:22
7.	Erin & Joslyn	13:27	+3:05
8.	Scott & Blair	??:??	+?:??
9.	Zach & Rachel	??:??	+?:??

Route info: Fly over the jet stream on your way to Geneva, Switzerland. Teams will find their next clue by the Jet d'Eau fountain.

 "What d they speak in Switzerland? Swiss?", Korey
 "We are so ready to leave the heat. I'd like to have one good hair day on this journey", Jessica

This time the clue specifies which flights teams must take to Geneva so they are all bunched. The flights are probably:
  AV9757  CTG-BOG  17:53 - 19:23   (scheduled 17:25 - 18:55)
  LH453   BOG-FRA  22:05 - 14:58+1 (scheduled 21:50 - 15:50+1)
  LH1222  FRA-GVA  16:15 - 17:20   (scheduled 16:10 - 17:20)

As teams wait in the airport a field trip of schoolkids pass by and teams get recognized. Lots of picture taking and mild chaos ensues.

Teams land after sunset so it is dark when we meet them in the middle of town. It is unclear how they got into town. Either production provided a bus or they all used the same public transport. In any case they all appear together in the middle of Geneva. We learn that the instructions have forbidden teams to use taxis during the European part f this leg.

Teams must now make their way on foot to a big fountain, Jet d'Eau (which has been used before on the race). Some teams take a more direct route than others and teams arrive in the following order:
 1. Tyler & Korey
 2. Zach & Rachel
 3. Brittany & Jessica
 4. Dana & Matt
 5. Burnie & Ashley
 6. Brodie & Kurt
 7. Sheri & Cole
 8. Erin & Joslyn
 9. Scott & Blair

Route info: "Make your on foot to Chocolate Rohr Geneva at Rue Donfer in Geneva"

Anther confused footrace through Geneva ensues. Once team arrive at the right chocolate shop (there are many) they find it to be closed, but there is a sign:

Take a number
1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
6, 7, 8, 9

You will be admitted in the order you arrived

Teams get here in the following order:
 1. Burnie & Ashley
 2. Erin & Joslyn
 3. Sheri & Cole
 4. Zach & Rachel
 5. Tyler & Korey
 6. Dana & Matt
 7. Brittany & Jessica
 8. Brodie & Kurt
 9. Scott & Blair

The shop opens at 10 the next morning. Teams get to sleep in a nearby basement, complete with loads of candles and suits of armor. They are all given air mattresses and sleeping bags. For some mysterious reason Blair ends up sleeping next to Brodie.

 "Get it trending", Tyler about @blodie, the hashtag for the showmance
 "There is not non-interest", Blair admits she is interested in Brodie

The next morning teams enter the chocolate store in the order they arrived last night. Each team is give one box of chocolate. When they open it they find their next clue lying on top.

Detour: Work bench or bench work

In work bench teams must make their way to a Victorinox store where they must assemble one Swiss army knife. The knife consists of 27 pieces which must be assembled by hand. The task requires a detail oriented mind. There are only three building stations available at this detour.

In bench work teams must figure out how many people can sit on a very long bench. They must pick up a copy of a local paper from the marked news stand and then measure how many people can sit and read the paper simultaneously. It seems as if the clue say they must measure by sitting down on each position. Any answer between 190 and 197 will be accepted.

To make bench work more interesting production has hired a couple of extras who are sitting down on the bench playing chess. A few locals also sit there. If a team make a guess which is wrong they must measure the bench again before they may make another guess.

Brittany & Jessica wanted to assemble the knife but had trouble finding the location, even though they walked right past it. They ended up doing the bench work instead.
 "We're not even on the right street", Brittany & Jessica pass the work bench location

At the bench Burnie & Ashley, Brodie & Kurt and Dana & Matt decide to work together.

Assembling the knife turns out to be harder than expected.
 "Why do we always pick the hard detour?", Rachel

Teams complete the detour in the fallowing order:
 1(+7) Brodie & Kurt, bench, got it on their first attempt
 2(-1) Burnie & Ashley, bench, on their second try (got the number from Brodie & Kurt)
 3(+2) Tyler & Korey, knife, on their first attempt
 4(-1) Sheri & Cole, bench, on their first attempt
 5(+1) Dana & Matt, bench, on their second try (got the number from Brodie & Kurt)
 6(-2) Erin & Joslyn, bench, on their second attempt
 7(-3) Zach & Rachel, knife, on their second attempt
 8(+1) Scott & Blair, knife, on their first attempt
 9(-2) Brittany & Jessica, on their fourth attempt

Route info: Make your way to the broken chair and search for your next clue.

Teams must now make their way to the broken chair. Tyler & Korey is the only team to make their way on foot. The others take the tram. Teams arrive here in the following order:
 1(+2) Tyler & Korey
 2(-1) Brodie & Kurt
 3(-1) Burnie & Ashley
 4(+0) Sheri & Cole
 5(+0) Dana & Matt
 6(+1) Zach & Rachel
 7(+1) Scott & Blair
 8(-2) Erin & Joslyn
 9(+0) Brittany & Jessica

Road bloc: Who's having a banner day?

In this road block, which takes place in front of the united nations building,  teams must identify ten flags. They are shown a big board with four rows of country names. Ten of the names are marked. They are also given a booklet of flags. The task is to pick out the flags of the ten marked countries. This gets easier when they realize that the board is actually a map of the flags standing around them. But this takes a while for teams to figure out, even though the clue refers to the board as a flag map.

The flags they need to pick out are Turkey, Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Liberia, Ethiopia, India, Belarus, Costa Rica and Uruguay. They must remove those flags from their book and hand them to the official standing nearby.

 "I lot of them I knew, because I play a lot of FIFA", Cole

Almost all of the contestants team up with with some other contestants to solve this task faster. Korey worked with Matt, Kurt worked with Brodie and Cole, Rachel worked with Blair and Joslyn. This leaves Brittany whom nobody wanted to work with since she arrived last.
  "It's not that I think nobody will work with me, its that I know nobody will work with me", Jessica

Brittany & Jessica are bitter over the fact that nobody wants to work with them even though they have helped plenty of other teams during the race. But we can understand the other teams. They all need somebody to be last and Brittany & Jessica got elected by default to that spot since they arrived well after the other teams.

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):

1(+2)	Burnie* & Ashley	(2-2)
2(+0)	Brodie & Kurt*	(1-3)
3(+1)	Sheri & Cole*	(1-3)
4(+1)	Dana & Matt*	(2-2)
5(-4)	Tyler & Korey*	(2-2)
6(+1)	Scott & Blair*	(2-2)
7(+1)	Erin & Joslyn*	(2-2)
8(-2)	Zach & Rachel*	(2-2)
9(+0)	Brittany & Jessica*	(1-3)

Route info: Travel by train to to Chamonix, France.

Teams will find Phil and the pit stop in the center of town.

There are no direct trains to Chamonix from Geneva. Instead teams have to connect in Martigny and Vallorcine.

Burnie & Ashley, Brodie & Kurt and Sheri & Cole are the only team on the first train to Martigny, and they are feeling very good about this.

The other teams, except Brittany & Jessica get on the second train. While Brittany & Jessica get on a later train.

Brittany & Jessica almost catch up to the teams on the second train in Martigny. There are some tense moments when the other teams see the model's train pull into the station.
 "Guys, hide", Dana wants teams to hide so Brittany & Jessica doesn't see them
 "I love the models, but it wouldn't be the worst thing if they didn't make this train", Tyler
The teams on the train to Vallorcine are very happy when the train starts moving before Brittany & Jessica gets on it. Apparently the reason they didn't make it was that they didn't have tickets and had trouble buying new ones since they only had dollars.

The teams from the second train catch up with the teams from the first train in Vallorcine. But teams on the first train are relieved when they realize that the models are not on the train. In fact everybody on this train is happy since they all know that one team is way behind and thus they are all safe from elimination.

Once in Chamonix team race for the mat. But the sprint is kind of lackluster since they all know they are safe. In the end teams jump onto the mat in the following order:
 1. Brodie & Kurt, win $3,000 each
 2. Tyler & Korey
 3. Dana & Matt
 4. Burnie & Ashley
 5. Zach & Rachel
 6. Erin & Joslyn
 7. Sheri & Cole
 8. Scott & Blair
 9. Brittany & Jessica, are eliminated

 "This race has been so awesome, doing it with Britney", Jessica

[maf]

Racing report
Amazing Race Season 28, Episode 5, "We're only doing freaky stuff today"
Film date: 2015-11-23

This episode starts with a scene from before the leg starts. We get to see teams arrive to a hotel lobby where each contestant get a bag of winter gear (boots, clothes and sunglasses). They all start putting on this new gear so it is probably just before teams are released.

The last pit stop was at the center of town in Chamonix, France. This also seems to be where teams are release the next morning in the following order:

1.	Brodie & Kurt	10:46
2.	Tyler & Korey	10:47	+0:01
3.	Dana & Matt	10:48	+0:02
4.	Burnie & Ashley	10:49	+0:03
5.	Zach & Rachel	??:??	+?:??
6.	Erin & Joslyn	??:??	+?:??
7.	Sheri & Cole	??:??	+?:??
8.	Scott & Blair	??:??	+?:??

We are not given departure times for the last four teams, but given the last pit stop we can assume that all teams started one minute apart.

Route info: "Get your license to drive"

Teams must now search the streets of Chamonix for a car with one of the listed registration numbers. Once they find one they must travel to the Les Grands Montets Gondola station to find their next clue. The task is made a bit easier by the fact that all the registration numbers in the list start with DS. And the cars seems to be parked in a lot just around the corner.

The car turns out to come with a driver who is going to be with them for the rest of the leg. And the driver seems to know the area so teams do not need to navigate.

Teams arrive to the gondola station in the following order:
 1(+0) Brodie & Kurt
 2(+0) Tyler & Korey
 3(+1) Burnie & Ashley
 4(-1) Dana & Matt
 5(+2) Sheri & Cole
 6(-1) Zach & Rachel
 7(+1) Scott & Blair
 8(-2) Erin & Joslyn

Route info: "Gear up, pick up mountain equipment and a baguette". That is teams must pick up a pair of backpacks which are filled with the necessary gear (including a baguette). They must also pick up a mountain guide before they make they way up the mountain. It seems the clue specifically tells teams they may not eat the baguette.

The clue also tells teams that no more than two teams may travel up the mountain in the gondola at a time. So the latter teams have to wait. Sheri & Cole forget to pick a mountain guide and discover this when they enter the gondola. They have to go back and pick one and as they do this they have to go to the back of the line as well.

 "Oh my gosh, I'm so cold", Dana freezes even though they have got winter gear.
 "We're dancers. these toes are not for sale", Dana does not want to loose her toes to the cold

At the top teams follow the walkway for a short distance until they come to a viewing platform. Here one team member must zip-line to a small rock outcrop where they can pick up their next clue. The other team member can help by pulling on a rope attached to their dangling partner. The distance is not long, but it is very high up on a snow-covered mountain so the task is quite scary.

There are two sets of lines so two teams can do the task simultaneously. ANd thaks to the max-two-teams-per-gondola rule teams arrive in pairs, and they seem to complete the task before the next pair of teams arrive.

Ashley drops her clue just as she returns to safety. So she has to do the task one more time and pick up another clue.

This is also where we learn that both Sheri and Cole are very afraid of heights. Which is not a good combination on a leg taking place high up in the alps.

Teams complete this task in the following order (a * denotes the team
member doing the zip-lining).
 1(+0) Brodie & Kurt*
 2(+0) Tyler & Korey*
 3(+1) Dana & Matt*
 4(-1) Burnie & Ashley*
 5(+1) Zach* & Rachel
 6(+1) Scott* & Blair
 7(+1) Erin & Joslyn*
 8(-3) Sheri* & Cole

As Kurt returns he passes Phil who live narrates their progress. The clue they retrieved contains a detour clue: Dynamite or Campsite.

In Dynamite teams must pick up two bunches of dynamite from the west side of the gondola station and then leave the walkway to traverse the mountainside and deliver the dynamite and lunch (the baguettes) to the ski patrol. Traversing the mountain is not easy and quite scary. There is a safety line they have to stay attached to at all time. Only one team at a time can traverse the mountainside.

In campsite teams must build a shelter. They must properly pitch a tent in the snow. One catch is that they have to dig out the site where they will place the tent and create snow walls around it to protect it from the wind.

 "This is freaking nuts", Brodie & Kurt as they traverse the mountain
 "I'm going to be sick I think, I'm gonna die", Dana is feeling the altitude as they look for the dynamite
 "It didn't seem like a thing humans should be doing", Tyler about the dynamite task

Burnie & Ashley is the only team doing the campsite. They want to take a risk and try to finish first. I guess the fact that only one team at a time could do the dynamite influenced the decision. Unfortunately for them this does not pay off. Campsite turns out to be much more time consuming than dynamite.
 "We underestimated the shoveling par of the detour", Ashley about building snow walls

Erin & Joslyn misread their clue and think they have to pick up lunch as well. They enter a shed a find a bag with food in it. But it is not marked so the leave it. Afterward we learn that it was Phil's lunch.
 "We have a baguette, does that count as lunch?", Erin & Joslyn looking for a better lunch
 "Who eats a baguette only for lunch", Erin & Joslyn

Sheri & Cole have a hard time deciding which detour option to do. Or rather Sheri immediately realize that dynamite will be quicker. But it takes a while for her to convince Cole, who is very afraid of heights, to agree to do this.

 "Do you want a date Joslyn?",  Erin tries to pair Joslyn with the ski patrol guy (who turns out to be married)

Teams complete the detour in the following order:
 1(+0) Brodie & Kurt, Dynamite
 2(+0) Tyler & Korey, Dynamite
 3(+0) Dana & Matt, Dynamite
 4(+1) Zach & Rachel, Dynamite
 5(+1) Scott & Blair, Dynamite
 6(+1) Erin & Joslyn, Dynamite
 7(-3) Burnie & Ashley, Campsite
 8(+0) Sheri & Cole, Dynamite

Route info: "Take your car to Planpraz gondola station and search for your next clue".

Before teams can be driven to Planpraz gondola station they must travel down in the gondola to their cars. Burnie & Ashley meet Sheri & Cole at the gondola station, and both teams realize that they are fighting for last. Sheri asks if they want to work together in order to be able to pass some other team. Burnie declines politely. Both of them seem to have made the right strategic decisions (Sheri to ask and Bernie to decline).

 "We're only doing freaky stuff today", Brodie gets the title

At the Planpraz gondola station teams find a clue box. They arrive here in the same order they finished the detour.

Road block: Who feels the wind beneath their wings?

In this road block contestants must ride the gondola up the mountain and then tandem paraglide down. The clue also says: "Look for the Yeti. When you land, answer the mountain watchman's question about the Yeti correctly to receive your next clue." The Yeti (a man in a gorilla suit) is easy to spot and it waves a big french flag. The question is simply which flag it was waving and all teams answer correctly.

What turns out to be a lot trickier is to launch the parasail. Contestants have to run down the mountainside in deep snow to get speed. If they do not get enough speed or if the wind fails then the launch fails and they have to go to the back of the line.

 "See now, winning a million dollars is great. But this is what the Amazing Race is all about, doing stuff you would never do in your entire life", Brodie who is about to run off the mountain
 "I once dated a Yeti", Korey gives us too much information

Parasailing is a weather-dependent activity and we learn from interviews that production had another task prepared up on the mountain. But they did not need to use it so we do not know what it was.

The non-participating team member must wait by the landing area. And they have a hard time seeing who is on the way before they are really close.
 "Alright, come down, stop having fun, we've got stuff to do", Dana spots Matt up in the air
 "I have a feeling it's not Blair because I think we could hear her", Burnie speculates about who is coming down

The end of this task is very exciting. We have Ashley, Sheri and Erin all standing up on the mountain waiting for wind. One attempts to start but fails, the next one succeeds and the last one fails. So in the end we have two people trying to start. In the end the camera switches to the waiting teams, who do not have any clue who is coming down first.
 "We wait for the best wind", One of the pilots
 "I'm really nervous right now", Erin

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):

1(+1)	Tyler & Korey*	(2-3)
2(-1)	Brodie* & Kurt	(2-3)	Failed 1 start
3(+0)	Dana & Matt*	(2-3)
4(+1)	Scott & Blair*	(2-3)
5(-1)	Zach & Rachel*	(2-3)	Failed 1 start
6(+2)	Sheri* & Cole	(2-3)
7(+0)	Burnie & Ashley*	(2-3)	Failed 2 starts
8(-2)	Erin* & Joslyn	(3-2)	Failed 2 starts, landed 30 minutes after #7

The next clue is a route info which tells teams to make their way to the Dr. Paccard statuse in Chamonix where Phil and the mat can be found. This is just a short drive away.

Teams reach Phil in the following order:
 1(+0) Tyler & Korey, win a trip to Borocay island in the Philippines
 2(+0) Brodie & Kurt
 3(+0) Dana & Matt
 4(+0) Scott & Blair
 5(+0) Zach & Rachel
 6(+1) Burnie & Ashley
 7(-1) Sheri & Cole
 8(+0) Erin & Joslyn, are eliminated 

At the mat Phil tries to get Blair to tel him which is her favorite team. She turns the question back to him and ask which is his favorite team:
 "I love all of you equally", Phil have no favorites

 "It was unreal and breathtaking and I'd do it again in a heartbeat", Erin

[maf]

Racing report
Amazing Race Season 28, Episode 6, "Let the good times roll"
Film date: 2015-11-25  - 2015-11-26

As usual this episode starts with some additional footage from the previous episode. This time it is Phil asking Brodie about his race romance with Blair.

The last pit stop was by the Dr. Paccard statue in Chamonix, France. This is also where teams are released early in the morning after a 24h+ pit stop in the following order:

1.	Tyler & Korey	05:28
2.	Brodie & Kurt	05:35	+0:07
3.	Dana & Matt	05:48	+0:20
4.	Scott & Blair	06:08	+0:40
5.	Zach & Rachel	06:18	+0:50
6.	Burnie & Ashley	06:37	+1:09
7.	Sheri & Cole	06:38	+1:10

Route info: Fly to Yerevan, Armenia. When teams land they will find their next clue at the opera theater.

It is worth noticing that some of the contestants are wearing shorts, even though it is snowing and there is quite a bit of snow on the ground.

All teams seem to make their way to a local travel agency where they book flights. After they book tickets they catch a shuttle, probably provided by production, to the Geneva airport.

All teams end up on the same flight, probably:
  A3821  GVA-ATH  11:05 - 14:50    (scheduled 11:00 - 14:45)
  A3932  ATH-EVN  23:50 - 04:30+1  (scheduled 23:50 - 04:30+1)

When they land all teams rush through the airport as a group and make their way to the taxis. Even though it is in the middle of the night there is just the right number of taxis waiting. What a happy coincidence, or might production be involved?

Teams find a clue box waiting outside the opera theater. The route info inside tells teams they must pick up their tickets at the box office. It also says "Run hard, an Express Pass is waiting for the winner of this leg". The express pass is valid through the ninth leg of the race. The box office opens at 8am so teams have to spend the night.

The next morning teams get their tickets at 8am.
 "We're seeing the saber dance", Cole

The saber dance will be performed while teams frantically search the theater for their next clue. The race has had teams search theaters before, and it was not easy then and it is not easy this time either. This time there is a trick, the tickets are not hidden anywhere. Instead teams just need to ask the janitor who is busy vacuuming the salon and he will give them their clue. The astonishing thing is that even as some teams figure this out the others are so intent of their searching so they miss this. In the end teams get their next clue in the following order:
 1. Brodie & Kurt
 2. Burnie & Ashley
 3. Sheri & Cole
 4. Dana & Matt
 5. Zach & Rachel
 6. Tyler & Korey
 7. Scott & Blair

Route info: "Search for the cascade on foot." Teams must now find a monumental staircase called the cascade. This is located just nearby so it is easy to find. The catch is that the clue box is located near the top, 572 steps up from the bottom.
 "If you're right behind Brodie & Kurt you know that you are doing alright", Cole is surprised by their position in the field
 "There's a lot of bouncing of the boobs", Sheri as she runs down the stairs

It seems the clue they got at the opera tells them to bring the clue back down to ground level before opening it. Teams open this clue in
the following order:
 1(+0) Brodie & Kurt
 2(+1) Sheri & Cole
 3(+1) Dana & Matt
 4(-2) Burnie & Ashley
 5(+0) Zach & Rachel
 6(+0) Tyler & Korey
 7(+0) Scott & Blair

Detour: Thread or Bread

In thread teams must make their way to Megerian Carpet and complete one row of 200 stitches on a carpet. The professionals in this carpet factory do this with impressive speed which makes the racers look like turtles.

 "Okay, so we though we were going fast", Sheri notice the locals in the room also making carpets
 "I'm never gonna let my dog pee on a rug again", Blair

In bread teams make their way to what looks like a restaurant where they must make 15 pieces of the national bread Lavash. This is also a task which looks so simple when demonstrated by somebody who has acquired the needed skills. But it is a lot harder for the racers, specially the step where they have to make the bread stick to the wall of a hot vertical oven. Once teams have made 15 pieces of bread they must take them to another room where a judge will inspect them. She turns out to be strict, Brodie & Kurt only get six approved of their first batch of 15 breads.

The best thing about the bread detour is that the lady demonstrating the technique to the teams can not stop laughing when she see them fail miserably.
 
Teams complete the detour in the following order:
 1(+0) Brodie & Kurt, bead
 2(+0) Sheri & Cole, thread
 3(+1) Burnie & Ashley, bread
 4(+1) Zach & Rachel, thread
 5(+1) Tyler & Korey, thread
 6(+1) Scott & Blair, thread
 7(-4) Dana & Matt, thread

Route info: "Travel by bus to the first stop after Hatsavan on the H3 and search for your next clue besides the road". The additional information tells them to search for the no 13 buses in the Republic square. Once there they must pick a driver who will drive their bus.

 "If it says travel by bus, can we take a cab?", Blair wonders if they can travel by cab to the bus (all other teams have done so)

Tyler & Korey have trouble finding a taxis so they fall back to last place.

Once teams find their buses they see that production has helpfully filled them with passengers as well. A bunch of locals who make each bus a party bus, but some more than others.

Once teams arrive at their stop they quickly spot the roadside stall sporting race colors. Here they get their next clue in the following order:
 1(+0) Brodie & Kurt
 2(+0) Sheri & Cole
 3(+0) Burnie & Ashley
 4(+0) Zach & Rachel
 5(+2) Dana & Matt
 6(+0) Scott & Blair
 7(-2) Tyler & Korey, just after #6

Road block: "Who's feeling drained?"

In this road block contestants must change the oil and the oil filter on a Lada Taxi. They are given a shop-guide with instructions. Once approved by the mechanic they can jump into the taxi and travel to the pit stop.

As a garage this place is a bit on the frugal side. There is just a concrete ramp with room for two cars. But the view over mount Arrarat is magnificent.

The fact that the ramp only holds two cars means that only two teams at a time can work on this road block. The rest must wait for a free spot on the ramp. But the waiting teams put the time to good use by studying what the performing teams are doing.

 "Thank good, I have no idea how to change oil", Brodie is happy Kurt is doing it.
 "I have never changed oil before, but I  don't mind getting dirty", Sheri has the right mindset
 "Back when I was in college I used to work on girl's cars in order to get dates, I don't think I'll be dating an Armenian taxi driver", Burnie

 "I hope it's Blair doing it though", Zach assumes Scott know how to change oil
 "I took me a while actually to figure out how to get my gas cap off my car", Blair is happy she is not doing this road block

Sheri was the second person to start the road block and she got the oil drained without problem. But when it came to removing the oil filter she gets stuck. No matter how hard she tries she can't get it loose.

Tyler notices that Sheri is stuck and starts helping the other teams in order to get to the ramp as quickly as possible. Apparently the team member doing the road block is allowed to help other teams. This means that he has analyzed the situation and think that both Matt and Scott can finish this road block, with his help, before Sheri solves her problem.

Part of her problem is that she is trying to turn the oil filter the wrong direction. Instead of loosening it she is tightening it. Once Scott is done he takes pity on her and helps her while his car is being driven down the ramp.

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):

1(+0)	Brodie & Kurt*	(2-4)
2(+1)	Burnie* & Ashley	(3-3)
3(+1)	Zach* & Rachel	(3-3)
4(+1)	Dana & Matt*	(2-4)
5(+1)	Scott* & Blair	(3-3)
6(+1)	Tyler* & Korey	(3-3)
7(-5)	Sheri* & Cole	(3-3)	Just as #6 get in their taxi

Route info: "Make your way to the next pit stop, the temple of Garni" As usual the clue mentions that the last team to check in may be eliminated.

The taxi ride to the pit stop is a harrowing experience for the last two teams. Tyler & Korey fear they will get lost and Sheri & Cole hope Tyler & Korey do. In the end teams reach Phil in the following order:
 1(+0) Brodie & Kurt, win the express pass
 2(+0) Burnie & Ashley
 3(+0) Zach & Rachel
 4(+0) Dana & Matt
 5(+0) Scott & Blair
 6(+0) Tyler & Korey
 7(+0) Sheri & Cole, are saved by a keep on racing leg

 "The good news is you're still racing", Phil to Sheri & Cole

[maf]

Racing report
Amazing Race Season 28, Episode 7, "Welcome to Bloody Fingers 101"
Film date: 2015-11-26 - 2015-11-27

The last leg ended with Phil telling teams to keep racing. The next clue directed them to travel back to Yerevan and then catch a train from there to Tiblisi, Georgia.

There is only one train so all teams are equalized. The train turns out to be a sleeper train and each team get their own compartment.
 "Oh my gosh, we have little beds", Blair enter the train

Now both Blair and Brodie admit that there might be a connection and they will see where things lead once they get home after the race.

The train leaves after dark and the ride takes 10 hours so teams arrive in Tiblisi the following morning. After the customary dash for taxis teams make their way to the statue of St. George in the Freedom square where they will find their next clue.
 "Moi rapido", Cole to their driver, forgetting that they do not speak Spanish here

Teams arrive at this clue-box in the following order:
 1. Brodie & Kurt
 2. Tyler & Korey
 3. Burnie & Ashley
 4. Dana & Matt
 5. Sheri & Cole
 6. Zach & Rachel
 7. Scott & Blair

The clue here is a route info which directs teams to the Narikala fortress and from there they must ride the gondola down to the river before they must make their way to the Jvari monastery where they should search for their next clue.

Narikala Fortress is located on a high hill. Some teams have luck and get their taxis to drop them off right by the fortress. Dana & Matt get dropped off at the bottom of the hill and Scott & Blair only get part of they way up before their taxi driver decides he can not drive any further.

Teams arrive at the Jvari monastery in the following order:
 1(+1) Tyler & Korey, encounter Phil who is live narrating their progress
 2(-1) Brodie & Kurt
 3(+3) Zach & Rachel
 4(-1) Burnie & Ashley
 5(+0) Sheri & Cole
 6(-2) Dana & Matt
 7(+0) Scott & Blair

Detour: clean or string

In clean each team must clean a giant submerged clay pot. It is so big that one of them must climb down into it on a ladder. This takes place at Iago's Winery, Chardakhi.

In string teams must make Churchkhela, a popular local candy. They must create 5 strands of candy. Each consists of 20 hazelnuts which they must thread and then coat in a special glaze. This takes place at Arsukidzis 15 and there are only four stations available.

Candy making also turns out to be a lot harder than expected. Threading the nuts is very hard and then the judge turns out to be very picky about how the glaze should be applied. To make matters even more interesting the locals here do not speak English.
 "The trick is to not scream while you're doing it", Tyler
 "Welcome to bloody fingers 101", Brodie gets the title when Zach & Rachel arrives
 "We have a little time until we can dip our nuts", Tyler

The candy making staff have some great comments though
 "My God. He's doing it with such difficulty", laughing judge
 "Poor guy", Judge looking Brodie trying to thread a nut.

Dana & Matt and Scott & Blair arrive at the candy making when all stations are busy so they both decide to try to make their way to the clean detour instead. After talking to a taxi driver Scott & Blair decide to stay and wait for a free station instead.

Dana & Matt leave in a taxi but are nervous when it takes a long time to reach the other detour so they instruct their driver to go back.

Meanwhile Tyler & Korey have had four of their strings of candy rejected. They try to start over but quickly realize that their fingers can't take it any more, so they decide to switch.
 "We've got a chance now", Blair is just starting the task

As Tyler & Korey leave they run into Dana & Matt who just have returned. The encounter ends with both teams making their way to the winery. And this time they find it. They arrive just as Sheri & Cole are finishing up.

It turns out that clean is fairly straightforward. The only catch is that Cole has a hard time finding the water to use for cleaning, even though the tank is in plain sight.

Teams complete the detour in the following order:
 1(+2) Zach & Rachel, string
 2(+2) Burnie & Ashley, string
 3(-1) Brodie & Kurt, string
 4(+1) Sheri & Cole, clean
 5(+2) Scott & Blair, string
 6(+0) Dana & Matt, wanted to do string but did clean
 7(-6) Tyler & Korey, started string but switched to clean

There was an extra step to both detours which was not shown. Both detours ended with teams having to transport a package of candy or wine to s store in town. This is where they got the next clue.

Teams are now told to make their way to the Rustaveli national theater and search for their next clue. Teams arrive at the theater in the following order:
 1(+0) Zach & Rachel, encounter Phil who is live narrating their progress
 2(+0) Burnie & Ashley
 3(+0) Brodie & Kurt, while #1 & #2 are practicing
 4(+0) Sheri & Cole
 5(+1) Dana & Matt
 6(+1) Tyler & Korey
 7(-2) Scott & Blair, as #3 leave

Road block: Who is light on their feet?

In this road block contestants must learn a dance routine and then perform it with the ballet troupe. They must put on a big wig and then watch as the dance is performed once. The performance kind of shocks them by the sheer speed and intensity of the dance.
 "I though this was going to be easy like maybe a Waltz or something... it was NOT that", Zach

Contestants are given individual instructors and a room where they can practice. Only one team at a time can try to perform the dance, and as usual it is first come first serve.

 "I have done Salsa dancing for the past 10+ years", Kurt turns out to have unexpected talents
 "I almost cried because I was so happy to see a dance challenge", Dana

Many are surprised that Scott is doing this rather than Blair. The reason we learn later is that Blair injured her leg in Chamonix so she doubted she would be able to perform the dance.

In the extra scenes we get to see Dana fail once at the challenge. But even so it seems she flew through this task compared to the other teams.

 "And then there were two", Blair to Tyler when they are the last two remaining teams

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):

1(+1)	Burnie & Ashley*	(3-4)	On her 2nd shown attempt
2(-1)	Zach* & Rachel	(4-3)	On his 2nd shown attempt, 20 minutes after #1
3(+0)	Brodie & Kurt*	(2-5)	On his 3rd shown attempt
4(+1)	Dana* & Matt	(2-4)	On her 2nd shown attempt
5(-1)	Sheri* & Cole	(4-3)	On her 1st shown attempt
6(+1)	Scott* & Blair	(4-3)	On his 6th attempt
7(-1)	Tyler & Korey*	(3-4)	On his 8th attempt

ROUTE INFO

Make your way to your
next Pit Stop, the
Rike Park next to the
#PeaceBridge.

Warning: The last team
to check in may be
eliminated.

Burnie & Ashley are the first to leave the road block and are very happy about having a shot at getting first. Unfortunately for them their driver takes them to Vake park instead, which is about 12 minutes away in the wrong direction.

Scott & Blair are also very happy to leave the detour before Tyler & Korey. Unfortunately they are in such a hurry to leave that Scott doesn't register that Blair has taken both their bags so he accidentally takes Tyler's bag. Tyler soon realize that his bag is gone and starts to get frantic.

Blair notice they have an extra bag as they are about to enter their taxi. They realize what has happened and Scott immediately runs back with the bag.
 "I'm sorry, I took it by accident", Scott
 "It's okay, it's okay", a very relieved Tyler

All in all Scott & Blair can not have lost much time by this error. But unfortunately for them Tyler & Korey have an amazing taxi driver. Tyler & Korey are also bit smarter and have their backpacks with them in the taxi rather than in the trunk as Scott & Blair do. But is very exciting for a while.

Teams reach Phil in the following order:
 1(+1) Zach & Rachel, win a trip to Turks and Caicos
 2(-1) Burnie & Ashley
 3(+0) Brodie & Kurt
 4(+0) Dana & Matt, while the first three teams are still on the mat
 5(+0) Sheri & Cole
 6(+1) Tyler & Korey
 7(-1) Scott & Blair, are eliminated

 "I can't even put into words how lucky I am to have a dad like this", Blair

[Marionete]

I think Dana finished the roadblock on her first (shown) attempt?

[maf]

I think Dana finished the roadblock on her first (shown) attempt?

Yes in the episode. In the extra scenes we get to see her making a failed attempt.

[maf]

Racing report
Amazing Race Season 28, Episode 8, "I have a wedgie and a half"
Film date: 2015-11-28 - 2015-11-29

This episode starts with a scene from the last one. Teams are sitting in an amphitheater near the pit stop in Tiblisi waiting to see which of the last two teams made it. Looking at the departure times we realize that they must have waited more than 2 hours. I hope they did something useful like exit interviews during that time.

The last pit stop was was by the bridge of peace in Tibisi, Georgia. This is also where teams are released the next night in the following order:

1.	Zach & Rachel	22:39
2.	Burnie & Ashley	22:42	+0:03
3.	Brodie & Kurt	22:45	+0:06
4.	Dana & Matt	22:52	+0:13
5.	Sheri & Cole	23:21	+0:42
6.	Tyler & Korey	01:17	+2:38

The first clue tells teams to fly to Dubai, UAE. Once they land teams will need to pick up a marked car and drive themselves to a remote Bedouin camp just outside the city (sic). Teams receive $17 for this leg of the race.

All teams make the same flight, probably:
  FZ714 TBS-DBX  06:04 - 09:15  (scheduled 05:50 - 09:10)

At the airport there is the usual mad rush for the cars. We also learn that teams have been given written driving directions to the Bedouin camp. Luckily for them the highway signage is both in Arabic and English. But that still doesn't stop Sheri & Cole from missing their exit.
 "This might have done us", Sheri

In the extra scenes we learn that Cole, aged 19, was not allowed to drive here.

On their way to the camp teams pass a bunch of camels who are walking along the road.
 "Are they literally like roaming free?", Rachel

Teams look for race flags which mark where they should exit the paved road. Once teams park they must then make their way on foot to the camp. I.e. the camp is so remote that it can be reached easily on foot.

At the camp the male racers enter the tent and do a traditional Bedouin greeting. The greeting consists of touching noses while looking at each other. It is not mentioned in the episode but we see that all the female racers wait outside the tent.

Teams get a new clue and a Travelocity roaming gnome in the
following order:
 1. Tyler & Korey
 2. Zach & Rachel
 3. Burnie & Ashley, just after #1
 4. Brodie & Kurt, arrive to the parking as team #1 leave
 5. Dana & Matt, just after #4
 6. Sheri & Cole, after the others have left

Detour: Oasis or races?

In races teams get to compete against a pair of racing camels on a 2km course. Teams ride bicycles and must both beat at least one of the two camels. This is easier said than done since the camels may reach speeds of 40mph. If teams fail to beat the camels on the first run they get a head start on their second try.

In oasis teams must lead four camels about one mile along a marked course to a Bedouin camp at an oasis. This oasis looks very man-made but at least there is dessert.

Brodie & Kurt get stuck in the sand as they are leaving the camp. They have to dig a bit to get their car moving.

Zach & Rachel are not really communicating and Zach decide they will do Races.
 "Camels like are stubborn so let's do races", Zach
 "Okay, I'm not going to ride bikes so", Rachel

 "I'm gonna be embarrassed if I get beaten by a camel", Korey hasn't seen the camels race yet
 "Oh, the camels are smoking them", Brodie arrives just as Tyler & Korey and Burnie & Ashley try to race

Camel racing is a lot harder than teams think since the camels are really fast. But the head start makes it a lot easier and everybody manages to beat them on their second race. It seems the first team are doing the camel racing around noon. The only teams which manages to beat the camels on the first try is Brodie & Kurt, but they are nearly completely spent after that. The other teams either switch or try with the head start. The head start seems to be that the teams may start 500m in front of the camels (on a 2km course).
 "My legs are on fire", Brodie after the race

Oasis is not really hard but still physically demanding. Teams have to lead the camels through the scorching heat of the midday sun in the dessert.
 "Stop acting as you are not struggling, you're just annoying", Dana is affected by the sun
At the end of the oasis task teams get to taste some local bread and camel milk.

Teams complete the detour in the following order:
 1(+3) Brodie & Kurt, races on their 1st attempt
 2(-1) Tyler & Korey, races, on their 2nd attempt
 3(+2) Dana & Matt, oasis
 4(-1) Burnie & Ashley, attempt races once then switch to oasis
 5(-3) Zach & Rachel, attempt races once then switch to oasis
 6(+0) Sheri & Cole, races, on their 2nd attempt

The next clue is a route info which tells teams to drive themselves to Atlantis the palm and the Aquaventure water park.

It seems teams get written directions to each of the places they are driving to during this leg. Which does not stop Sheri & Cole from getting lost again.
 "I don't even know if we're in Dubai anymore", Cole when they have been driving for a while and are thoroughly lost
 "We do good on the game part, but at navigation we suck", Cole sums it up

At the water park teams fin a road block.

This road block takes place by the Leap of faith water slide. This is the slide which featured in TAR15 where one contestant refused to go. One contestant must put on a mask and enter a big tank full of sharks. Here they must retrieve a cylindrical object and bring back to the surface. Once back on land they must solve the puzzle they just fetched. The puzzle is a cylinder filled with water and some metal letters. Their task is to move the cylinder so the letters fall into the indentations and spell RACE.

Before teams can start this task they both have to change into the provided golden swimwear. This turns out to be a bit on the small side so it is quite revealing. So revealing that Brodie keeps his boxers on under and Rachel puts on a top outside hers. Dana is just embarrassed.
  "I really am sorry mom, about that bathing suit", Dana interviews later

It is interesting to see that the safety divers in the shark tank are all very careful to cross their arms all the time while the racers flail around as they try to move. Fortunately the sharks do not bite anybody.

Nobody has any problem with fetching the puzzle from the shark tank, but when it is time to solve the puzzle, that is when the frustration sets in. Worst hit is Brodie who decide to use the express pass so they can leave before any other team arrives.

 "That's the slide", Tyler realizes they are standing right by the slide from season 15
 "I can't believe they got out because of that slide, crazy", Matt does not find the slide intimidating

 "Is this for real how you do this? We can't just break it on the floor and put the puzzle together?", Dana thinks laterally

Dana is having a rough day and is frustrated by the puzzle. But she doubles down and completes it.
 "I really hate to loose to boys[/i", Dana has the right attitude

Sheri & Cole arrive at the water park after all the other teams have left.
 "He's a cute body he doesn't need to have any missing body parts", Sheri when Cole is diving with the sharks

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):

1(+0)	Brodie* & Kurt	(3-5)	Used the express pass
2(+2)	Burnie* & Ashley	(4-4)
3(-1)	Tyler & Korey*	(3-5)
4(+1)	Zach* & Rachel	(5-3)
5(-2)	Dana* & Matt	(3-4)
6(+0)	Sheri & Cole*	(4-4)

The next route info tells teams to make their way to Poseidon's revenge. This is a new water slide and teams will get their next clue once both team members have reached the bottom.

This one looks much scarier than the leap of faith but nobody balks and they just do it. Teams have to run a bit through the park to get here from the shark tank but nobody gets lost and no team pass any other team.

 "Holy crap, that was unbelievable", Matt after riding Poseidon's revenge
 "I have a wedgie and a half", Dana gets the title after the ride

The next clue tells teams to use a water taxi, Abra, to cross the Dubai creek and then find Phil and the pit stop at the Old Souq Station.

It isn't really mentioned in the episode but teams must depart from Deira, Old Souq 2 station. Driving there, and finding a spot to park, turns out to be much harder than teams think. According to the insider videos Brodie & Kurt spent about 2 hours to reach the station.

When Brodie & Kurt finally, after 15:45, reach the parking spot they see Burnie & Ashley pulling in. Both teams figure they have a shot at first place. Brodie & kKurt turns out to be lucky and get a faster Abra (water taxi) so they manage to pull ahead enough so that there is no real contest for 1st place. But it is still close.

Dana & Matt have a big meltdown in the car to the water taxi. It is mostly Dana who gets frustrated when Matt does not seem to comprehend what she is saying.
 "I don't like being challenged, so I start to challenge back", Dana
 "I just shut down", Dana interviews afterwards
It gets so bad that Dana basically stops racing for a while and just stands by the road. Eventually Matt manage to calm her down and they continue to search for the Abra station.

Eventually teams check in with Phil in the following order:
 1(+0) Brodie & Kurt, win a trip to Helsinki
 2(+0) Burnie & Ashley
 3(+0) Tyler & Korey
 4(+0) Zach & Rachel
 5(+0) Dana & Matt, after dark
 6(+0) Sheri & Cole, are saved by a non-elimination

Tyler wants to try the traditional greeting with Phil, but Phil just laughs and changes the subject.

Dana & Matt are pretty sure they are last when they reach the pit stop. Neither are happy about what happened today, but they both still love each other.

 "Just don't let me drive anywhere, I need a taxi", Sheri

[maf]

Racing report
Amazing Race Season 28, Episode 9, "Salt that sand"
Film date: 2015-12-01 - 2015-12-02

One of the extra scenes this week did show teams lounging in a pool the day after the previous pit stop. They talk about Sheri & Cole being eliminated and are surprised when Sheri & Cole suddenly walk in and they learn that last leg was a non-elimination.

The last pit stop was was by the Old Souq in Dubai, and this is where team are released the next night in the following order:

1.	Brodie & Kurt	00:28
2.	Burnie & Ashley	00:30	+0:02
3.	Tyler & Korey	01:18	+0:50
4.	Zach & Rachel	01:31	+1:02
5.	Dana & Matt	01:48	+1:20
6.	Sheri & Cole	04:11	+3:43

Route info: "Fly to Denpasar, gateway to Bali". Teams will find their next clue at the entrance to Tanah Lot which is Bali's most photographed temple. Teams get $132 for this leg of the race.

All teams end up on the same flight, which is:
  EK298  DXB-DPS  09:31 - 22:32  (scheduled 08:50 - 22:00)

Once in Bali teams rush to the taxis and make for the temple. It is late, dark and traffic is intense.
 "Thank goodness I'm not driving", Sheri

Here we also learn that no contestant may do more than 6 road blocks. Which may bite the teams which have a big road block count imbalance.

At the temple teams find numbered shells and these translate to different departure times the following morning.

Teams arrive here in the following order:
 1. Brodie & Kurt, departs at 06:15
 2. Sheri & Cole, departs at 06:15
 3. Burnie & Ashley, departs at 06:30
 4. Tyler & Korey, departs at 06:30
 5. Zach & Rachel, departs at 06:45
 6. Dana & Matt, departs at 06:45

In the extra scenes we learn that teams had to erect small personal mosquito tents and spend the night under a nearby roof.

The next morning teams enter the temple area and easily find their next clue perched on top of a traditional Balinese offering.

Teams must now deliver two types of offering. First a tower of food to Pura Enjung Galuh temple. Here each contestant will be given a big snake which they must carry to the Tanah Lot temple.

Pura Enjung Galuh temple is located just next to where teams found their clue, but the two first teams head directly to Tanah Lot instead. Once there they get told that this is wrong and they go back. They get back to the starting point just as the second batch of teams is released.

Some teams have an easier time carrying the snakes than others.
 "This guy is monstrous", Brodie about his snake
 "Have fun, but stay calm", The monk handing out the snakes
 "I hate snakes so much", Zach

Teams complete this task in the following order:
 1(+0) Brodie & Kurt
 2(+2) Tyler & Korey
 3(+1) Burnie & Ashley
 4(-2) Sheri & Cole, just after #2
 5(+1) Dana & Matt
 6(-1) Zach & Rachel

Route info: "Search for your next clue approximately one half kilometer past the bat temple"

Teams jump into taxis and head for this spot (52km 1h30m). Once they arrive  Sheri & Cole find their speed bump. They must go back to the bat temple and flag down a man on a motorbike whose back is a food cart. They must then prepare and sell 10 portions of Bakso for at least 10.000rp each and finally they have to eat one portion themselves.

Selling this is suspiciously easy. There are lots of people around who are hungry. The hard part turns out to be to eat one portion. The food is very spicy. But there are two of them and just one portion so they get it done fairly quickly.

While they do that the other teams can go directly to the clue box. They reach it in the following order:
 1(+0) Brodie & Kurt
 2(+1) Burnie & Ashley
 3(-1) Tyler & Korey, seconds after #2
 4(+2) Zach & Rachel
 5(-1) Sheri & Cole
 6(-1) Dana & Matt

Road block: Who's worth their salt?

This road block has three parts. First contestants must fetch sea water and wet a marked area of black volcanic sand. The next stage is to scrape salt brine from a hollowed log. And finally they must fill four plastic bags with salt and correctly tie them shut.

The first step where they have to water the sand is backbreaking work where they must fetch water from the sea. The second part is not as hard but time consuming. Finally tying the bags shut correctly is frustratingly difficult once they have filled them up with the required amount of salt.

 "Salt that sand boy", Brodie gets the title
 "Kurt has definitely been carrying the team so far in the roadblocks", Some foreshadowing from Brodie
 "Oh man, this is tough", Matt tries to tie the knots on the bag of salt

To add to the foreshadowing we get to learn that Kurt has survived colon cancer. It is usually a very bad sign when we learn stuff like this about contestants after the first leg of the race.

Rachel has a hard time with the first part of this road block. She is the only girl doing it and since it mainly requires strength she is at a disadvantage. She seems to catch up quite a bit during the bag filling though.

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):

1(+1)	Burnie* & Ashley	(5-4)
2(+1)	Tyler* & Korey	(4-5)
3(-2)	Brodie & Kurt*	(3-6)
4(+1)	Sheri & Cole*	(4-5)
5(+1)	Dana & Matt*	(4-5)
6(-2)	Zach & Rachel*	(5-4)

Route info: "Make your way to Pantai Mertasari and search for your next clue"

This is yet another taxi ride away (36km 0h52m) and when they arrive teams are surprised to find another road block: "Who wants to go and fly a kite"

The clue also says: "Notice, if you performed the first one, you partner must perform this one."

In this task contestants must correctly put together a giant kite. Then they must help to get it airborne to get their next clue. As one can expect it is the building part which is difficult. It is a detail oriented task and you need to go and check the example frequently.

The kites are really big and visually stunning and you can see why it takes a team of people to handle them.

Burnie & Ashley are confident that they will have a good shot at getting their first 1st place finish since they have a decent lead when they arrive.

 "Oh, it is warm out", Korey notices that there are no shadows for the kite builders
 "This is gonna be complicated", Ashley starts putting her kite together
 "I'm never gonna be satisfied with normal kites now", Ashley after realizing how enormous the kite will be

 "They don't tell me what the first step is", Brodie gets flustered from the start
Brodie have a hard time building the kite. He though he was going to build it together with the locals, but they just stand there and laugh.

 "I have no idea what I'm doing, I'm not a builder", Dana doubts her abilities
 "My fingers are huge, doing knots are difficult", Brodie

The kites are so big that the non-participating team members can all sit comfortably in the shadow under the demonstration kite.

Korey turns out to be very fast and finishes his kite very quickly. So fast in fact that he just beats Ashley. Dana also seems to finish without difficulties, despite her early misgivings.

At the end of this road block we have Brodie who is battling Zach. Brodie has a big head star, and that is good for him because he needs it. The time is now just after 11 so teams have been racing for 5 hours today. The final teams are neck an neck when they start getting their kites airborne, but Brodie pulls ahead and finishes a minute or so before Zach.

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):

1(+1)	Tyler & Korey*	(4-6)
2(-1)	Burnie & Ashley*	(5-5)
3(+1)	Sheri* & Cole	(5-5)
4(+1)	Dana* & Matt	(5-5)
5(-2)	Brodie* & Kurt	(4-6)
6(+0)	Zach* & Rachel	(6-4)	Just behind #5

Route info: "Make your way to Semawang beach and take an outrigger to the next pit stop"

The pit stop is on a traditional Indonesian sailing boat off the coast. After the taxi ride (1km) teams pick up an outrigger on the beach which they have to paddle to the pit stop. For help they have one local who steers the boat and helps them with the sail. As they reach the goal contestants have to jump into the water and swim the last bit before climbing about the pit stop boat.

The editors make a half-hearted attempt to make it look like the first two teams are close, but you can tell that their hearth is not really in it. In the end it is not even close. In fact in the extra scenes is one where Phil shouts to Tyler & Korey as they approach:
 "Oh no, here comes another team", Phil tries to fool them
 "Yea right", Tyler is not buying it

 "Our fourth second place in a row", Burnie, with a touch of bitterness in his voice

There is however a very close race between teams #3 and #4

Then again they try to make the race for last to seem exciting, but Brodie & Kurt have too big a lead so it is not really close.

Teams reach the mat on the boat in the following order:
 1(+0) Tyler & Korey, win $5000 each
 2(+0) Burnie & Ashley
 3(+0) Sheri & Cole
 4(+0) Dana & Matt
 5(+0) Brodie & Kurt
 6(+0) Zach & Rachel, are eliminated

Zach & Rachel then have to get off the boat, and they elect to do that by jumping off the side. The episode ends with them kissing in the water.

[claude_24hrs]

Maf,  Leg 9 started on 12/1 not 11/30, as teams had a day off extended rest. They arrived in Bali that same day.

[maf]

Maf,  Leg 9 started on 12/1 not 11/30, as teams had a day off extended rest. They arrived in Bali that same day.

My bad, I was mentally stuck in leg 8 where teams started just before midnight.

[georgiapeach]

Love these maf!!   for doing them!! 

With these and Neobie's maps, these episodes are covered for posterity!! 

[maf]

Racing report
Amazing Race Season 28, Episode 10, "Monkey Dance"
Film date: 2015-12-03

The last pit stop was on a boat just off the coast of Bali. during the pit stop the boat left and traveled to the neighboring island of Nusa Lembongan. Teams spent the night on the boat.
 "It was probably the most restful night I have had the entire time on the race", Bernie

The next morning teams are released from the boat in the following order:

1.	Tyler & Korey	07:45
2.	Burnie & Ashley	07:52	+0:07
3.	Sheri & Cole	07:53	+0:08
4.	Dana & Matt	07:54	+0:09
5.	Brodie & Kurt	07:58	+0:15

The first clue tells them to get into a speedboat which will take them to Gamat bay. The next clue is located in one of three clue boxes on the ocean floor near a marked buoy. The clue also warns teams there is a U-turn ahead.

The upcoming U-turn stirs feelings among the teams. The front team see possibilities while the back teams fear being U-turned.

The route info in Gamat bay looks like it was put here to allow teams to go snorkeling over a stunning coral reef for a while. But there is a twist. Instead of the usual clue envelopes each of these clue boxes each contain two cylinders which in turn contain the next clue. This arrangement confuses some teams, specially Dana & Matt who swim around for a while looking for an ordinary clue.
 "This can't be right", Matt holding one of the cylinders

Teams get their clue here in the following order:
 1(+0) Tyler & Korey
 2(+0) Burnie & Ashley
 3(+0) Sheri & Cole
 4(+1) Brodie & Kurt
 5(-1) Dana & Matt

Route info: "Make your way to the bottom of the Pura Puseh Stairway". Once there teams must find a dancing monkey who will give them their next clue. The clue also tells them to ask their boat to drop them off at Mushroom beach on Nusa Lembongan Here they must look for a marked truck/taxi which will take them to the stairs (1.2km)
 "We have to pay attention to who's behind us so when we get to the U-turn we know who to U-turn", Brodie

It turns out teams are not allowed to approach the stairs without wearing a Sarong. Fortunately these are provided when they arrive.

Production has arranged for a troupe of traditional Balinese dancers and some Gamelan players by the stairs so the visuals are stunning. The dancing monkey turns out to be a man in a monkey-suit. He will of course play a bit with the teams before he hands over the next clue.
 "It sounds like a wicked party at the top", Ashley reach the stairs

Teams obtain the clue here in the following order:
 1(+0) Tyler & Korey
 2(+0) Burnie & Ashley
 3(+0) Sheri & Cole
 4(+0) Brodie & Kurt
 5(+0) Dana & Matt

Detour: Haul or harvest

In Harvest teams must use a traditional canoe to propel themselves along a marked course and then harvest enough seaweed to cover a tarp. They must then bring it to shore and carry it up to the tarp where they need to spread it out to dry. It turns out they will need to go two times to get enough seaweed to cover the tarp completely. There is nothing difficult about this detour option, but it takes close to an hour to complete.

In Haul teams must transport 4 chickens and 50 coconuts across a long and narrow suspension bridge. The challenge is that the chickens may be uncooperative, the coconuts are heavy and unwieldy and they have to dodge oncoming traffic on the bouncing bridge. The coconuts are hard to carry and the largest number we see somebody carry in one go is 7. So they need to make multiple trips.

Both detours are with 1.5km of the detour decision point.

 "Oh my god, it's bouncing", Korey when crossing the bridge for the first time
 "So it's a tedious one for sure, we're gonna do this for a while", Burnie after their first delivery run
 "I'm from New York, I only know how to hold chicken after it's cooked", Dana

All teams go for the haul detour, and since it takes a while to complete they are all there at the same time. So they all know who is in front and who is behind. This makes the upcoming U-turn much easier to handle.

 "I think the trick is to...", Brodie to Kurt when the latter drops his coconuts. Unfortunately Brodie drop his as well before he has time to finish the sentence.
 "Only the mean chickens are left", Dana is last to pick up her chickens and have less of a choice

Once teams complete the harvest detour they are given some face cream, which is made from the seaweed they just harvested. Kurt applies this liberally so he gets a face-mask, which he hopes will bring them luck.

Teams complete the detour in the following order:
 1(+0) Tyler & Korey, haul
 2(+0) Burnie & Ashley, haul
 3(+1) Brodie & Kurt, haul
 4(-1) Sheri & Cole, haul
 5(+0) Dana & Matt, haul
 6(-2) Brodie & Kurt, harvest

Teams must now make their way to Warung Sunrise where they will find the double U-turn. The U-turn sign here is made of carved wood in the local style, gorgeous. Nobody gets lost on the way here (there i only one road) so they arrive in the same order they finished the detour.

Tyler & Korey are first and U-turns Brodie & Kurt. Later in the taxi they start having second thoughts. What if another team also gets U-turned. Eventually they realize that the best thing to happen would be if Burnie & Ashley blocked the other U-turn by using it on Tyler & Korey. Unfortunately they have no way of telling Burnie & Ashley about this plan.

Fortunately for them Burnie knows the race well and has seen exactly this maneuver before. He realizes that this has a high chance of eliminating a strong team so they go for it and U-turn Tyler & Korey. This means that Brodie & Kurt are U-turned and can not U-turn anybody else.

Brodie & Kurt are not happy to see this when they arrive as the third team. But they waste no time and immediately make for the other detour.

Sheri & Cole are confused by the U-turn board so from that we may assume they haven't studied the race like the other teams.

Dana & Matt know they are a prime target of the U-turn since they are last. So they are happy to not see their faces on the board.
 "Wow, they burned the U-turn. That was nice of them", Dana understands what has happened

Route info: "Make your way to Pande Curly shops standup paddleboards on the beach of Mushroom bay and find your next clue"

Teams now jump into their taxis again and make for the next clue. Which they reach in the following order:
 1(+0) Tyler & Korey
 2(+0) Burnie & Ashley
 3(+0) Sheri & Cole
 4(+0) Dana & Matt
 5(+0) Brodie & Kurt

Road block: "Who's feeling blue"

In this road block contestants must jump 40ft into the Blue lagoon. Boats are standing by to drive them to the lagoon. Once there they must climb a ladder to the top of the cliffs where an Australian guy helps them stretch a bit before the actual jump.
 "To be honest he caught my attention", Tyler was interested by the instructor
 "They gave the ugly safety instructor a day off I guess", Burnie

Since no contestant may do more than 6 road blocks Tyler and Brodie must perform this one.
 "Off you go", The instructor judges Tyler to be ready
 "The fall itself was okay, landing was a little bit rough", Tyler
 "It felt almost like hitting asphalt", Matt

This is a fairly linear road block since there is no real skill involved and there is no way to pass any other team. The only way positions may change is if somebody has trouble jumping. Cole is afraid of heights and the editing makes the most of this fear, but when he finally stands there he more or less jumps immediately.
 "I'm so terrified of heights", Cole on his way to the Blue Lagoon
 "I'm pretty nervous", Cole on the top of the cliff

The jump is on the high side, but production takes no chances. The racers are instructed on how to jump and land (feet first, straight body) and there are no less than 4 divers in the water.

Burnie & Ashley arrive just as Tyler is about to jump. Then they are all gone when Sheri & Cole arrive. Dana & Matt arrive just a minute or so after Sheri & Cole. Finally Brodie & Kurt arrive after everybody else has left.

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):

1(+1)	Tyler* & Korey	(5-6)
2(-1)	Burnie & Ashley*	(5-6)
3(+1)	Sheri & Cole*	(5-6)
4(+1)	Dana & Matt*	(5-6)
5(-2)	Brodie* & Kurt	(5-6)

Route info: "Make your way to the next pit stop at Bajra Sandhi, Bail"

The pit stop is located on Bali so teams first have a fairly long boat-ride to get there (20km). But the speedboats which took teams to the Blue Lagoon seem to take them all the way back to Bali.

Burnie & Ashley are hot on Tyler & Korey's tail. When they make landfall there is less than a minute between them. Then there is a cab-ride to the pit stop (7km 15min). The distance stays constant and the final footrace doesn't change it.

There is also a tight race between Dana & Matt and Sheri & Cole. They
hit the beach seconds apart.

The editors also try to fool us that Brodie & Kurt are just behind Sheri & Cole, but they will have a hard time to convince us.

Teams reach the pit stop in the following order:
 1(+0) Tyler & Korey, win an Alaska Cruise
 2(+0) Burnie & Ashley
 3(+1) Dana & Matt
 4(-1) Sheri & Cole
 5(+0) Brodie & Kurt, are eliminated

Burnie & Ashley are not thrilled to be in 2nd place for the fifth leg in a row. The first four teams are all pretty close, at least so close that they all end up on the mat at the same time. And they are all happy that they live to race another day.
 "Lets get out of here before the Frisbee boys come", Ashley

It is hard to say how long after the others Brodie & Kurt arrive, but the first four teams have all left the mat. It was probably around 45 minutes since that is how log the harvest detour took. They are not happy to be eliminated, but it is not unexpected.
 "We ran as hard as we could", Brodie

[maf]

Racing report
Amazing Race Season 28, Episode 11, "That's Money Honey"
Film date: 2015-12-04 - 2015-12-05

The last pit stop was at Bajra Sandhi, Bail. But this doesn't seem to be where team are released the following morning:

1.	Tyler & Korey	07:34
2.	Burnie & Ashley	07:35	+0:01
3.	Dana & Matt	07:48	+0:14
4.	Sheri & Cole	07:51	+0:17

Route info: "Fly to Shenzhen, the silicon valley of China" Teams will find their next clue in the departures hall of the Shenzhen airport.

Outside the race we learned that teams had to fly to the Shenzhen airport, taking a flight to Hong Kong and then taxi to Shenzhen was not allowed.

All teams end up at the same travel agency. Burnie & Ashley arrive just before Tyler & Korey.
 "Do you want to tell other teams that we connected through Kuwait?", Burnie, who is getting competitive, to Tyler & Korey

 "Believe it or not, every leg we have been trying to win", Sheri about their consistent near-bottom placements

There is only one flight and it has plenty of free seats so all teams end up on:
  CZ6066  DPS-SZX 01:56 - 06:52  (scheduled 01:45 - 07:00)

Once they land teams rush through the airport to find the clue box in the departures hall. They find it in the following order:
 1. Tyler & Korey
 2. Dana & Matt
 3. Burnie & Ashley
 4. Sheri & Cole

One curious incident here occurs when Sheri & Cole does not immediately find the departure hall but run into an exchange kiosk, so they decide to exchange their currency. Tyler & Korey also arrive here, but claim they have not found the clue yet (which they have).
 "It's just like chaos up there", Korey tries to dissuade Cole from going upstairs (where the clue is)
Then Burnie & Ashley arrive and they hold their clue in their hands. Burnie is surprised when both teams claim to not have found the clue yet since there was only one clue left after Burnie took theirs. So Tyler & Korey are caught lying to Sheri & Cole by Burnie & Ashley.
 "I love Sheri & Cole, but somebody has to go", later Tyler  & Korey explains to Matt & Diana

The clue is a route info: "Make your way by bus and train to the Eiffel tower and search for your next clue"

All teams seem to have done their homework about Shenzhen and immediately realize they need to make their way to the World of Wonder. Tyler & Korey and Dana & Matt make the first subway train. Burnie & Ashley make a later one and Sheri & Cole just miss that one. Teams find the clue in the Eiffel tower in the following order:
 1(+0) Tyler & Korey
 2(+0) Dana & Matt, seconds after #1
 3(+0) Burnie & Ashley
 4(+0) Sheri & Cole

Road block: "Who wants to see the world?"

In this road block each team is given a small booklet with riddles in it. These riddles leads to different landmarks in this huge theme park. At each such landmark (and a number of extra landmarks) there are boxes with stickers. Contestants must collect the stickers and put them in their booklet. The judge will then stamp the correct stickers and once they have all 6 they will get their next clue.

The riddles are:

The Sphinx is guardian
  of these ancient
 structures of Giza.

Answer: the pyramids

You can see the Pope
  give mass at this
 Vatican City square.

Answer: St. Peter's square

This statue has the
head of a lion and the
  body of a fish.

Answer: The Merlion of Singapore

Quasimodo rang the bell
 of this French Gothic
  cathedral in Victor
 Hugo's classic novel.

Answer: Notre Dame

  You could watch
reenactments of famous
   battles here.

Answer: The Colosseum

This palace is actually
 a mausoleum framed
  by 4 minarets.

Answer: The Taj Mahal

Since no contestant may do more than 6 road blocks the teams do not have any choice as to who should perform this road block.

Tyler and Dana are the first two to start the road block and they decide to work together. Burnie and Sheri end up working by themselves.
 "Oh crap, I'm gonna really be in troublei", Sheri see that Tyler and Dana are working together

 "I don't know what a minuet is", Sheri misreads minaret

We get the feeling that Bernie is bitter. Both from the incident at the airport and from the fact that Tyler and Dana are working together.
 "Are you till looking for your clue from the airport", Burnie to Tyler
 "Couple of jackasses working together, can't be working by themselves", Burnie to himself about Tyler and Dana

At one point Burnie runs into Tyler and Dana and tries to exchange information. Tyler is not forthcoming and lies about which riddles they have solved. But Tyler is quick in his thinking and tries to misdirect Burnie to a place at the other side of the park, unfortunately for him this it doesn't work.

The park is huge and in the extra material we hear that Tyler spent about 1.5 hours performing this task. There was a lot of running involved so contestants are exhausted.

Tyler & Dana are the first to get back to check. But they have one wrong (Angkor Wat instead of the Taj Mahal) so they have to run a bit more.
 "Oh my god, I've got to pee", Tyler
 "Just pee your pants, I swear, just pee yourself, we didn't come here to loose", Dana

 "And then there was one", In the end Cole is the only one left waiting for his partner

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):

1(+2)	Burnie* & Ashley	(6-6)
2(-1)	Tyler* & Korey	(6-6)	A couple of minutes or so after #1
3(-1)	Dana* & Matt	(6-6)	Seconds after #2
4(+0)	Sheri* & Cole	(6-6)	About 40 minutes after #3

Route info: "Make your way by subway to Lychee park and find the moon bridge to receive your next clue".

The clues by the moon bridge are given out by a group of musicians who are wearing various red and yellow clothes. The first team find this easily since Phil is also there live narrating their progress. They get the clue here in the following order:
 1(+0) Burnie & Ashley
 2(+0) Tyler & Korey, seconds after #1
 3(+0) Dana & Matt
 4(+0) Sheri & Cole

Detour: Commuter cycle or master of arts

In commuter cycle teams must learn to ride small electric unicycles. Once they can stay on they must ride a course carrying a briefcase and a cup of coffee. In the end we learn that it does not matter if they fall from their unicycles every now and then during the course. The only requirement seem to be that they keep reasonably close to each other.

In master of arts teams must make their way to the Dafen art village. Here they will find a square with a lot of artists painting. They have to find one wielding a marked brush (bright yellow and red). This artist will then give them a couple of unwieldy packages and the address of an art gallery (each team get a different gallery). They must then carry the packages there on foot. Once they have arrived they must open their packages which contain 8 different paintings. Together these paintings form a single scene. Teams must now hang them correctly on the wall. The judge turns out to be pretty strict with the distances and so on so some teams must rehang some of their paintings.

The unicycling instructors seem to be a group specialized in performing stunts with these unicycles because they make lots of maneuvers which look quite advanced.

Burnie & Ashley And Sheri & Cole take the subway to the detour while the other teams take a taxi. And this time the taxi seems faster.

Burnie & Ashley start by doing the commuter cycle and their plan is to switch if the task is hard. This seems feasible since the other detour is just a block away. Unicycling turns out to be hard so they decide to switch. The thing which wrecks this plan is that they had change into a business attire for the unicycle task and that took time. All told the spend about 40 minutes on the unicycle task. Shortly after they leave Sheri & Cole arrive at the task.

 "This is definitely a learning experience", Ashley stands on the unicycle for the first time
 "Look how good we look", Sheri thinks she looks sharp in a suit

We learn that Matt used to fix up houses so he has a lot of carpeting experience.

Cole think he will pick up the unicycle easily since he is used to riding a skateboard.
 "Mom, I know it might be tough for you but I'll help you through it", Cole later about his attitude going into the task
 "My mom is riding it a good bit better than I am", Cole recognizes the cold hard truth

Burnie & Ashley are having bad luck today. After they decided to switch detours they quickly found the artist and got their paintings. In the extra scenes we learn that they had a very hard time finding the gallery.

Meanwhile Sheri & Cole are struggling with the unicycles. To make matters worse it starts to rain, lightly at first but it soon turns into a torrential downpour.

Teams complete this task in the following order:
 1(+1) Tyler & Korey, paintings
 2(+1) Dana & Matt, paintings
 3(-2) Burnie & Ashley, started unicycles but switched to paintings
 4(+0) Sheri & Cole, unicycles

The next clue is just a small scroll with a picture of a very distinctive building on it, and the text "Shenzhen Library Terrace" written in English and Mandarin.

Finding this pit stop is a lot harder than it looks. The pit stop is on the library terrace. The building depicted is the Shenzhen Industrial museum, This lies close to the library, but is not the pit stop. The angle is also no clue since the museum is painted from the front but the pit stop is off to one side.

The pit stop greeter this time is a group of musicians and acrobats performing a lion dance on top of a set of poles. The sound of the drums also helps some teams locate the pit stop.

All teams wait at the pit stop to see which of them will make it to the final. It is actually very exciting to see which team will claim the last finale spot.

The editing switches between both of the last two teams as they are in their taxis. Traffic is horrible, probably because there is a Marathon in town. In the end the race is determined by the fact that one taxi releases it's team close to the pit stop while the other team has to search the area for 40 minutes.
 "We know we're in the right area, we just can't see him anywhere", Burnie
 "I hear sounds. Oh, Up there", Sheri hears the drums

In the end teams reach Phil in the following order:
 1(+0) Tyler & Korey, no prize is mentioned
 2(+0) Dana & Matt
 3(+1) Sheri & Cole
 4(-1) Burnie & Ashley, ~5 minutes after #3, are eliminated

Sheri & Cole are very surprised and extremely happy to finish third.

 "We just had a classic bad day on the race, and you can't do that this late in the game", Burnie

[maf]

Racing report
Amazing Race Season 28, Episode 12, "The only first that matters"
Film date: 2015-12-06

As usual this final episode starts with a look back at the race and a quick run through of the eliminated teams.

Then it switches to a scene at the last pit stop mat. Phil tells the remaining teams that their next leg will take place in Los Angeles, California. He also tells them that they will be upgraded to Premium class on the flight there.

We do not get to see a starting line on this leg and for all we know there might not have been one either. The final flight is predetermined so releasing the teams at different times is kind of pointless.

We do get to see teams settle into their comfy first class seats. The flight leaves from nearby Guangzhou and is probably:
  CZ621  CAN-LAX  12:48 - 07:48  (scheduled 12:30 - 09:40)


Once they arrive in Los Angeles there is the usual mad dash for the taxis. We see that Tyler & Korey have ditched their bags. Dana & Matt only have one bag and Sheri & Cole are still carrying both of theirs.
 "Today will be the day we get our first first. The only first that matters", Cole gets the title

Teams find the clue at Angelus Plaza (30km 0h25m) in the following order:
  1. Dana & Matt
  2. Sheri & Cole
  3. Tyler & Korey, arrived first but taxi dropped them off at a different place so they missed the clue box

Road block: "Who's ready to take a leap of faith?"

In this road block contestants will be strapped in and must then take a flying leap from the roof of a 175ft high building and grab a hanging clue. They will then be lowered to the ground. If they failed to grab the clue it will be brought a bit close for their next attempt. There are three jump stations so teams will not have to wait. This task is a little bit unfair since it rewards racers who are tall and can do long jumps.

Dana & Matt anguishes a bit over who should do this. Dana is afraid the next road block will be some physical task. But in the end Matt do this. This shows that Dana has a keen understanding of the race and she expects there will be one more road block which she will have to perform.

In interviews Tyler dishes on about his jump instructors whom he found very handsome.

 "Yeah I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty nervous", Matt is getting ready to jump
 "I'm gonna try not to look down", Sheri has a strategy
 "Damn it's high", Matt looks down
 "It was really hard to psyche myself up to jump", Sheri
 "It looks kind of far", Tyler
 "I don't know if I can do this", Sheri is in tears as she steps up on the platform
 "The wind is blowing, that's not what I want", Tyler is nervous
 "I'm embarrassed that it took me that many tries", Tyler after he finally snagged in on his 3rd attempt

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):

1(+0)	Dana & Matt*	(6-7)	On his 1st attempt
2(+0)	Sheri* & Cole	(7-6)	On her 2nd attempt
3(+0)	Tyler* & Korey	(7-6)	On his 3rd attempt

Rote info: "Take a helicopter ride up the coastline to Santa Barbara".

Teams must now make their way back up to the roof where a helicopter is waiting to take them to Santa Barbara.

Chateau saw this task and from him we get the chopper departure times:

Dana & Matt	09:36
Sheri & Cole	09:59	+0:23
Tyler & Korey	10:06	+0:30

When teams land they have to take a taxi to Santa Barbara harbor where they must use a marked dingy to find the Theresa Ann. Dana & Matt borrow their driver's phone and find that the Theresa Ann is a 1926 Monterey fishing boat. Sheri & Cole also use a phone and come to the conclusion that the Theresa Ann is a museum.
 "Lets pass one team on the dinghies and then we'll catch the next team at the next thing", Korey has a plan

The dinghies each have a small outboard motor, and it is lucky that it is small because teams show an amazing lack of seamanship.
 "I'm still attached", Matt figures out why the can't leave the dock

Tyler & Korey see Sheri & Cole while they are looking for the Theresa Ann. Cole even tries to deploy some misdirection here but the plan falls flat when he fails to communicate with Sheri.

An old fisherman is sitting on the deck of the Theresa Ann and he hands the clues to the teams in the following order:
 1(+0) Dana & Matt, before the next team has arrived
 2(+0) Sheri & Cole
 3(+0) Tyler & Korey

Route info: "Make your way up to Gibraltar Rock and search for your next clue"

Teams must now travel by taxi to Gibraltar Rock (16km 0h30m). This is easier for Tyler & Korey who is the only team who kept their taxi. Dana & Matt find out that it is hard to get a taxi here and eventually they have to ask somebody to call for one, which takes 10 minutes to appear.
 "That's a 20 minutes mistake right there kids", Dana realizes what letting the taxi go will cost them

We are really shown Dana & Matt agonizing over having to wait for a taxi.

Sheri & Cole are also having a hard time finding a taxi, and while they are looking Tyler & Korey jump into theirs. Unfortunately for them their gain from having kept their taxi is questionable since they have a driver who can barely speak English and who doesn't know where Gibraltar Rock is. Even though they can find it on the drivers phone they have a hard time getting there.

Eventually teams arrive at the clue box at Gibraltar rock in the following order:
 1(+0) Dana & Matt
 2(+0) Sheri & Cole, arrive just as Dana & Matt have completed the task
 3(+0) Tyler & Korey, as Sheri & Cole are performing the task

Route info: Are you ready for some synchronized mountaineering?

Here on team member must perform a 300ft Tyrolean traverse to retrieve one half on the next clue. This team member is also joined by a rope to their partner who is descending down the vertical rock face of Gibraltar rock to reach the other half of the clue. Once they have retrieved both half's they must make their way back. The person on the vertical cliff face has a rope with knots which helps them climb and their partner will help by dragging on the connecting rope. But this is a very physical task.

There are three sets of rope so production is clearly hoping to have multiple teams doing this task simultaneously. Unfortunately for them teams are quite separated at this point so we never have more than one team active at any given moment in time.

 "I feel like a less cool version of Lara Croft", Dana is about to descend the rock
 "Holy crap, this is hard", Dana find climbing back up to be hard

 "I'm so scared of heights, this is going to be awesome", Cole tries to psyche himself for the traverse
 "I did not enjoy a single second of dangling over that gorge", Cole afterwards

Tyler starts his descent just as Sheri completes the climb back.

Teams complete this task in the following order:
 1(+0) Dana & Matt
 2(+0) Sheri & Cole
 3(+0) Tyler & Korey

The next route info directs teams to the Grassini family vineyards (58km 0h56m).

Along the way Tyler & Korey get stuck behind a slow car. Korey sticks his head out the window and yells at them, and surprisingly this causes the slower car to pull over.
 "All you have to do is yell politely", Korey

At the vineyard the next clue can be found stuck into a bale of hay on the bed of a vintage pickup parked by the entrance. Dana & Matt miss this and have to run around a bit before they find it.
 "We are missing a clue box or something", Matt realize that they have missed something

I get a feeling that this happens a lot in the race, but we get to see it this time since Dana & Matt are in the lead. The editors will focus on every mistake made by them to make the race feel more exciting. And it kind of works in this case, even though they seem to find the clue pretty quickly and they do not get passed by anybody.

Road block: "Who wants to roll out the barrels?"

The person who didn't jump off the skyscraper earlier must do this memory task. Along the race 25 of the clues have contained hashtags (like "Make your way to your first Pit Stop, the #MuseoSoumaya, in Mexico City"). Nine of these hashtags are now printed on barrel lids. They must hang these in order and then use other barrel lids with letters on to spell out the cities where they occurred. The hashtags and the cities they have to spell are:
#MuseoSoumaya, Mexico City
#WalledCity, Carthagena
#JetSttream, Geneva
#MontBlanc, Chamonix
#12thCapital, Yerevan
#PeaceBridge, Tiblisi
?, Dubai
?, Denpasar
#ParametricDesign, Shenzhen

All remaining teams turn out to have made notes and nobody is shown to struggle with this task.
 "I swear I was born for this", Dana feels confident going into the task
 "Being short, the tall ones are hard for me", Dana has trouble reaching the top row of barrels

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):

1(+0)	Dana* & Matt	(7-7)	Before the next team has even arrived at the vineyard
2(+0)	Sheri & Cole*	(7-7)
3(+0)	Tyler & Korey*	(7-7)

Route info: "At last, the finish line" The clue directs teams to run to the lake. The only challenge now is to find the lake. As expected Dana & Matt are shown to struggle at this. But the editing can not really hide the fact that Dana & Matt have a big lead here. In the end teams cross the finish line in the following order:
 1(+0) Dana & Matt, win $1,000,000
 2(+0) Sheri & Cole
 3(+0) Tyler & Korey

A nice touch is that at the finish line they have a string quartet playing the Amazing Race theme.

 "18 cities, 10 countries and more hat 27000 miles", Phil sums it up

 "We'd rather be passionate than boring", Matt about their sometimes fiery relationship
 "At the end of the day we have nothing but love and respect for each other", Dana