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“All good things must come to an end.” Sadly, this phrase doesn’t really apply to this “meh” season of The Amazing Race, but fortunately, even all mediocre things must also come to an end.

Before we start back up where we left off in Scotland with Max & Katie in first, we get a Phil-tastic, two minute recap of the entire season. This little clip show/highlight reel touches on the ups and downs of the Race for the remaining teams. Of particular note is that out of the four remaining teams two (Caroline & Jennifer and Max & Katie) were both on the verge of elimination on the very first leg, when they intentionally took the time penalty on the sandcastle Roadblock. They just edged out the firefighters then and at least one of them will have made it all the way to the final three.

Plus we get reminded of how delusional John (of John & Jessica) was about being eliminated with an unredeemed Express Pass in their possession. Hahahaha…fools. Now, we go back to the matter at hand - narrowing the field to a final three in this first of a two-part recap of The Amazing Race 22.

It’s 4:07 a.m. and Cape Fear rips into their clue. The teams will be heading by train and then ferry to Belfast, Northern Ireland. Next, they go into a warehouse to get a car and finally, their next clue will be waiting for them at Peatlands Park. Max recounts the hot streak they are on and then with expected arrogance says, “I am completely confident that we will be in the final three.” This guarantee is usually the kiss of death on these shows, so we will find soon enough if that is the case for our newlyweds.

Less than 10 minutes later, Bates & Anthony leave the mat. Just as we have come to expect arrogance from Max & Katie, we get a more strategic assessment from the hockey brothers. They pinpoint one team left as the biggest threat and, sorry, Max, but it ain’t you and your young bride. Bates explains that Sock ‘er Moms Mona & Beth are their biggest and they should focus on getting them eliminated before the final three.

Bates & Anthony hoof it over to the train station and luckily, it’s running in the wee hours of the morning. Both teams are now heading out of Edinburgh to the ferry dock.

Just before 5:30 a.m., country singers Caroline & Jennifer leave the Pit Stop and offer this unique (and not necessarily accurate) assessment of why they are still in the Race. They credit their “positive energy” and being supportive of one another. While they haven’t been openly critical or berating of each other a la Katie toward Max, I wouldn’t call their many mini nervous breakdowns being fueled by “positive energy.”

TWO HOURS later, Mona & Beth leave the mat and head to the terminal. The moms don’t appear to have any bitterness about being U-Turned and just accept it as a part of the competition, which underscores much of their non-Race relationship through roller derby. This makes them feel they can strive on the Race and they won’t crack (well, I must add, “not again” to that declaration, as scenes from the Botswana river paddling and Mona yelling at Beth replay in my mind).

The leaders get to the ferry first and find out that the great leveler of transportation schedules is at work again. The next ferry doesn’t leave until the next morning. This gives the pair of all-girl duos the chance to rejoin the group. While they wait it out, Max can’t help but needle the moms about the fact that they didn’t get the three hour lead they were anticipating in Scotland on the last leg and then smugly adds that he and Katie U-Turned them. Beth reminds him that they know it’s a competition and they would have done the same thing, except she only tells the camera that they don’t understand why Cape Fear didn’t use it on the strongest team (Bates & Anthony). Since it is near the end and they are very much not in the core alliance, I think they should have just called it out right there in the terminal that it’s silly to not use such a tool on the strongest team, especially this late in the Race.

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