The Amazing Race 25 - Episode 12
All or Nothing
By Daron Aldridge
December 30, 2014
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. First, we get a recap from entire season with the requisite montage of eliminated teams (including the gone-too-soon Kym & Alli). Next, we pick up where we left off with Team Candy Crush of Amy & Maya getting the best news ever with the “you’re still racing” revelation from Phil.
On the spectrum of emotions, the girls' elation is one side. Meanwhile, Brooke is downright “disgusted” that they were not eliminated on the last leg “like they should have been.” Then Brooke echoes the same sentiment that intrepid BOP recappers have shared for years. “That was a waste of a leg.”
I understand her frustration because they have never pulled a final four conclusion but I don’t think it is any more frustrating than a normal non-elimination, which, I remind you, Brooke, saved yours and Robbie’s butts just one leg prior.
(My conspiracy theory is that the final four was a way to better their chances that they could ensure Adam & Bethany would make the final leg. Yes, I am still bitter about the surfing Fast Forward that catered to their strength. But I can’t blame the producers for wanting that because they are a fun team to watch that actually shows a positive relationship.)
Speaking of Adam & Bethany, the dude is a bit frustrated. However, it doesn’t appear to be directed at the girls but rather the idea that their chances for a million dollar payday just went from one in three to one in four. Jim offers up that the scientists are the “lowest hanging fruit,” “have the highest probability of going home,” and “are behind us more than they are ahead of us.” Brooke is not convinced because if it is mental challenge, she knows she and Robbie are the weakest.
Robbie tells the audience that Tag Team has won multiple wrestling championships and now they will win the Amazing Race. I wonder if someone should inform Robbie that professional wrestling is scripted, so he won those championships because it was dictated to be so.
Obviously, all the teams are on the same flight and bound for Los Angeles. Upon landing, they will locate the marked SUVs in the parking lot and use the messaging system in the car to get their next clue. Rushing from the airport, the teams get the clue that they must proceed to the downtown city hall and take their manila envelope to the film clerk.
Because the leg wouldn’t be complete without some hubris from Jim, he proclaims that knows exactly where they are going and the others do not. Oopsie… maybe not. Team DDS gets turned around immediately, which gives Amy & Maya a chance to inch into the lead.
Par for the course, Tag Team is simply following the surfers, which Adam predicted. But that doesn’t last too long as Robbie accidentally exits. This causes discord between the grapplers, but they pull off for directions. Brooke professes that being in charge of their own driving is a constant source of weakness for them. The fellow at the gas station gives Brooke & Robbie directions and based upon the multiple highway changes and steps to these directions, the likelihood of getting lost just went through the roof.
In what may be a first for this season, Amy & Maya show up first at a task. They arrive at the city hall with the surfers right behind them. The clerk stamps the document in the envelope, which is a film permit. The teams have to now report to a marina/warehouse that is serving as a film location and deliver the film permit.
While the girls are using a phone from someone nearby to get the exact location, the surfers have gone in and left and the dentists have arrived as well. So now we have a pretty clear picture of what our actual final three is going to look like. At least Brooke can take credit for predicting that a mental task would be their downfall. Granted, I didn’t think that the "mental" task would be driving a car without getting lost in a country that speaks your native language and has familiar traffic laws.
Candy Crush gets there first and delivers the permit in exchange for a clue. It’s a Roadblock: Who wants to be an action hero? The person will have to practice and perform a stunt of jumping through a breakaway window with a satchel, landing on a safety mat three stories below. Maya takes this one for them. Her usual excitement is tempered with a bit more hesitation than we are used to seeing from her. During practice, Maya has numerous false starts.
The surfers are here next and Adam is happy to take it for them. The dentists have once again gotten a bit twisted around but seem to be heading to the right place.
More than a bit twisted around are the wrestlers. Tag Team is back again…lost and now in Santa Monica. Now, I am not familiar with the LA area but I suspect that Santa Monica is not that close to the downtown city hall for Los Angeles. They ask a man, who points out that they did in fact go in the opposite directions. Brooke jumps on this screw up as a chance to blame Robbie. Thankfully, Robbie points out that together they decided to stop for directions and they both were in there when the direction were written down. So, rightful blame belongs to the guy who decided to help them out.
As you could expect, Jim is the action hero for Team DDS. Maya has finally overcome her butterflies and goes flying out the window. Once on the ground, she opens the satchel to get the clue. They are instructed to head on foot to the Coast Guard training boats docked nearby. They start running.
Adam follows in Maya’s footsteps right out of the window and they are right behind them. But Maya slipped up when reading her clue. She was required to remove her safety stunt gear at the film location. As they run back to the Roadblock site, the surfers take the lead.
While Maya is changing, Jim dives out of the window. Unfortunately, Jim is unable to find the clue in the numerous pockets in the satchel. This stumble gives the girls a chance to stay in second place as they head back to the Coast Guard.
Obligatory wrestler check-in: They have gotten their film permit stamped and are now in the car trying to get lost again, I assume.
The surfers load up in the boat. For this task, they will perform an open water rescue simulation with a dummy. Hmmmmm…a challenge in the last leg that involves swimming in open water and one of the teams is a pair of professional surfers who spend as much time in the water as most people do at an office desk. I’m sure that’s just a coincidence. Oh wait, Bethany even says, “We see much choppier water than this surfing.” (Another point for my conspiracy theory.)
Unsurprisingly, Adam & Bethany perform the task without difficulty but do note that the dummy weights nearly 200 pounds and is just dead weight. This will likely prove more difficult for Amy & Maya.
The girls are now at the rescue location and don’t seem to encounter too much trouble. Big burly Jim, on the other hand, admits that he is not a strong swimmer and can only “swim well enough to not drown.” So, the one-two-three order looks to stay intact as the teams head to the next location. The next clue points teams to take a taxi to a shipyard than is filled with 15,000 shipping containers.
As they travel, Brooke & Robbie have reached the Roadblock, just in time to see the stunt demonstrated once again and hear the words, “That’s a wrap.” This prompts Phil and his wondrous eyebrow to step out from behind a crate to levy the bad news. Yup, their time is done on the Amazing Race. They are disappointed but are content with how well they raced. Brooke just seems pissed.
Let’s turn our attention back to the teams still in the hunt for a million dollars. The surfers hit the spot first and it’s the second Roadblock, which is customary on the finale. The other team member must search the thousands of shipping containers for the names of the nine cities they visited. Then they have to located a color-coded number on each (each person has their own assigned color, so they will have a different answers). Finally, they have to arrange the numbers in the order they visited their corresponding city. Plus, they can’t take notes.
Bethany nervously takes off but confesses that Adam is their “memory guy.” She is soon joined by Amy and Misti. This is going to be a task where there is no right way to do it. Bethany employs the singing memorization technique that Misti used during the restaurant challenge in Denmark. We assume that brainiac scientist Amy just goes with whatever methods she uses in her PhD studies.
Jim notes that they are all tied for first place and then asks if they have been there for four or five hours. I think he might be joking but maybe not. The maze of containers is daunting to watch, so I can’t imagine who overwhelming it would be to be in the middle of it.
Bethany and Amy have both gotten all their numbers and are trying to make their ways to the foreman. Time for the dramatic slo-mo zoom in and we see Amy come around the corner first but Bethany is close behind.
Amy recites the numbers and is correct. The foreman then has a container with their next clue lowered into place. The girls rush in and I halfway expect the doors to be slammed shut by a livid Brooke, who then sends them back to Manila.
It’s finish line time for the girls, who are now heading to a lighthouse via taxi. Sadly, their cabbie admits he doesn’t know exactly where it is.
But they have a bit of time because Bethany transposed two of her numbers. This gives Misti the chance to make it to the foreman for a chance. The dentist makes a similar error, so she reviews her work.
On her second try, Bethany made it worse and now has three numbers out of order. But Misti nails it on the second time. With the finish line on the horizon, it will come down to a final cab ride, which is the norm for the Amazing Race.
Cutting back and forth between the dentists’ and the scientists’ taxis, the nerves are on edge and anxiety is to the brim. Bethany finally gets the number right but given the non-rushing attitude and the prolonged, consoling hug from Adam, they know they are in last.
Here’s the finish line and the winners of the Amazing Race 25 are…Amy & Maya (?!?). That is correct… the team that never finished first and was usually only one or two teams removed from last place has miraculously pulled out a victory to become only the THIRD all-female team to wine this show. Spunky live wire Maya stays true to herself and has boundless energy. Amy…she just collapses on the mat. (Funny note: losing the Race is still too fresh for Brooke as she can’t seem to muster a smile or applause for the girls.)
Strolling up in second is Team DDS, who dominated the first half of the season and then fell under the weight of their own ego with multiple mistakes. That puts the surfers in third.
To summarize this season, I think it was very entertaining and most of the challenges were fun to watch because they were actually challenging. While I liked the scientists and think Maya is as cute as a button, I don’t think they really raced better than the dentists or the surfers. My wife is very disappointed but I am only mildly let down and won’t let it take away from an otherwise enjoyable season.
Here’s to another season down. Have a great New Year and see you in February.