The Amazing Race Season 26 - Episode 8

Moment of Truth

By Kim Hollis and David Mumpower

April 21, 2015

Strong but not strong enough.

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We continue this “very special” two-hour edition of The Amazing Race in Africa, where Steve & Aly have just been given a reprieve after having a Very Bad Leg. I mean, they even let Mike & Rochelle get ahead of them, which at this point is like saying that the Golden State Warriors allowed the Lakers to catch up with them. It’s perhaps not quite that extreme, but it’s pretty close.

After checking in with Phil, the teams are camping out in tents right behind the Pitstop area. A meerkat watches Matt & Ashley as they unpack their supplies. All the teams are actually excited to see Steve & Aly still in the game, and the entire group takes a moment to simply soak in their gorgeous surroundings. Even with the Hayley moments and Aly’s bad temper in the last leg, this cast is one of the most likable they’ve had in a long time. There are no Ugly American moments, no snarkiness to other teams. It’s refreshing.

The next morning (at 6:47 a.m.!), Matt & Ashley rip into their clue and are instructed to go to Swakopmund. Once there, they’ll need to pick up a newspaper and scour the German text for their next clue (the city is a former German colony, and a large part of its population still speaks the language today). The first clue also cautions that there is a U-Turn ahead, which kind of sucks in a leg that also contains a Speed Bump for one of the teams.

Then again, Matt & Ashley want to U-Turn Jenny & Jelani rather than Steve & Aly. I mentioned a general lack of snarkiness, but that doesn’t mean that some competitive things have happened during the course of the Race. In a previous leg, worried that they might finish in last, Jenny wouldn’t tell Matt & Ashley where they needed to go. Again, it’s a Race and you’re competing. Take it in stride, guys. But all’s fair in love and The Amazing Race, so if you want to U-Turn someone as a revenge move, more power to you.




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Remember, too, that Jenny & Jelani have the Express Pass, so U-Turning them might not even mean anything. They haven’t been obnoxious about having the pass, so it’s easy to forget they have it, but it’s going to factor in because we’re closing in on the end of the Race now.

In fact, Jenny is fully aware of this possibility, so they’re prepared to use the pass if needed. She even knows which team is likely to U-Turn them, so it’s obvious there’s no love lost between the two. At least they’re not sniping at each other constantly.

Steve & Aly are an hour and a half behind first place, but only 20 minutes behind Mike & Rochelle. They definitely need to make up some ground, but they’ve been a strong team throughout the race and have a great chance at recovering during this leg. Maybe there will be another ice skating challenge.


Continued:       1       2       3       4

     


 
 

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