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Previously on The Amazing Race, one team lost over and over again. They were not, however, the last team to arrive at the finish line. Team Yale won the first head-to-head race that ever mattered on the show, eventually winning a battle to stave off elimination. Passive aggressive yoga goat herders April & Sarah went home instead, which is a huge win for all television viewers. On the downside, the contestants will depart from gorgeous Belgium this week, making this the last opportunity we have this season to recommend that you watch In Bruges.

The first team to depart on this leg is Team Big Brother, Cody & Jessica, the surprise winners last week. While we’ve never watched Big Brother and are extremely proud of that fact, we must admit that this duo is better than past Big Brother tandems, at least thus far. Also, they seem to like one another, a rarity for a reality showmance.
The leg starts with airport bunching, but let’s give you a quick reminder of the order. Cedric & Shawn, Team Slam Dunk, are in second place followed by Team Extreme (Kristi & Jen), Team Well Strung (Trevor & Chris), Team IndyCar (Alex & Conor), Team Ocean Rescue (Lucas & Brittany), Team Chomp (Joey & Tim), the previously discussed Team Yale, and one other group.

Let’s set the Firefighters apart for now to point out something about them. They’ve quietly struggled so far. Their BEST finish is eighth place out of 11. Last week, they were the final team to arrive for the head-to-head competition. They were lucky enough to have innate abilities at carrying giant potato sacks, keeping them along for at least one more episode. Thus far, they seem like the weakest link of the season, though. It’ll take a lot of fortune for them simply to survive this episode. Aren’t twins supposed to have a special bond that makes them the best imaginable team?

Even with airport bunching, this episode starts with some drama. The brothers barely catch the flight out of Belgium. When the other duos realize which team was eliminated, the news hits home for Team Extreme. Kristi & Jen know the history of The Amazing Race, which has only seen only three all-female teams win over 29 seasons. Now, two of the three all-female teams this year are already out of the competition. It’s Team Extreme or bust now!

The new destination is Morocco! Teams fly into Ibn Battouta Airport in Tangier. A wonderful moment happens next. As Team Well Strung tries to figure out how to get in the same cab, Team Big Brother provides another demonstration of competence. When their taxi driver states that he doesn’t speak English well, Cody steps in. He speaks to the gentleman in Arabic, pleasantly surprising his driver.

At this point, we learn that Cody is a big damn hero. He didn’t just spend six years in the Air Force. He also joined the Marines, too! He was on the front lines as a sniper, and he picked up several languages during his tenure. He’s not the only one who speaks Arabic, either. Ferocious Evan of Team Yale also communicates with her driver in his native tongue. She apparently had high school classes in Marrakesh. This is a skilled group of players with a lot of impressive life skills. Also, the hot dog eaters are there.

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