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Previously on The Amazing Race, we lost both the NBA players and the competitive eaters. Also, the lifeguards got engaged (and Phil was more excited about it than anyone). So, with the fame factor decreased by a factor of 10, we now will follow the teams to Prague. They have to use the “fast and easy” Travelocity app to book their flight, and for once, not all teams are on the same flight. Placement matters a little bit.

So, the teams on the first flight to Prague, which will be arriving at 10 a.m., include Henry & Evan, Lucas & Brittany, Eric & Daniel, and Kristi & Jen. The second flight’s teams are Alex & Conor, Cody & Jessica, and Trevor & Chris.

Once teams arrive in Prague, they must journey to the architectural masterpiece known as the Rudolfinum. When they arrive, they will find a Double U-Turn.

The teams talk a little about the U-Turn, but for the most part it seems to break down the lines of first flight versus second flight. The first teams have a more comfortable lead, while the lagging teams will need any advantage they can gain to avoid finishing in last place.

And indeed, none of the duos from the first flight U-Turn another team. Their clues send them to choose their Detour option, which is simply This or That. They don’t get any other clues, so they seem to make their selection based on the location of the challenge.

At Staropramen Brewery, teams who selected “This” have to restack several empty beer kegs and then search the area for a full one that they will tap to pour the perfect mug of beer. (And by perfect, there can’t be too much foam. Or too little.) Once their beer is approved by the brewmaster, they have to go to an address that leads to a party boat on a river. They’ll receive a clue from the boat captain when they deliver a keg to keep the party going.

Kristi & Jen have chosen the beer task, and Jen notes that she has worked at a brewery, so she’s well prepared. The skiers power through, and even if they get moving a little fast, they still seem to have this challenge well in hand.

For “That,” teams have to listen to two astronomical lectures, one that argues the Earth is flat, and the other claiming that the Earth is round. The duos will need to memorize certain facts from the lectures, because in order to move on to the next phase of the Race, they have to pass a test.

Basically, one challenge requires physicality, while the other involves brain power. Lucas & Brittany sit down for the lectures, but quickly decide it is too much work. They head over to the beer challenge as the twins sit down and listen to the lecturers.

Kristi & Jen are tapping their keg as Evan & Henry arrive to start stacking. Alas, Kristi & Jen have not achieved the perfect brew – they don’t have quite enough foam. (Note: There is a picture in the Detour area that shows what the beer should look like.) Anyway, the brewmaster shows them what they’ve done wrong, so they head back to the keg to give it another go.

The second flight arrives and the teams are in panic mode. Everyone is worried about being U-Turned at this point. The skiers get their perfect beer poured on the second try, so they will be looking for the party boat (Minnesota Vikings not included).

Having heard both lectures, the twins go for their quiz. They’re stumped on the first question, but that’s okay! They actually do a great job of compartmentalizing the quiz. They get sections down, and then they return for more lecture time. You’d think this would take too long, but it really doesn’t. To wit, they’re in first place when they depart – even though it takes them nine attempts to get through the quiz.

Despite Evan’s micromanaging, Henry still doesn’t quite pour the perfect beer, so they have to try again. A second attempt yields positive results. Meanwhile, the skiers are struggling to find The Fidelio, probably because they’re looking for a building rather than a party boat.

As Lucas & Brittany arrive at the beer Detour, Henry & Evan are wheeling their beer cart away. The skiers have figured out that they should be walking beside a river rather than down a street, so maybe they’re on their way to the party boat!

The bottom three teams are arriving at the U-Turn area, and the Indy drivers choose not to penalize another team. I think they realize they’re comfortably ahead (for now) of both Big Brother and the violinists. Big Brother, on the other hand…

Look, they had to do it. Trevor & Chris are really mad about it, but U-Turns are part of the game. With the disadvantage of being at the back of the pack, there was really no reason for Cody & Jessica to take any chances. You never know when you might run across a challenge that’s just too hard, or perhaps navigational issues. For their part, the violinists lament that they were U-Turned right beneath a statue of composer Antonín Dvorák.

Having achieved a perfect pour, the lifeguards are ready to begin the search for The Fidelio. They immediately go the wrong way. Alex & Conor run up just as Lucas & Brittany are leaving.

We go through all this to finally join Eric & Daniel as they receive their next clue, which sends them to the Adelska Lazen Beer Spa. There, they will find three men taking a beer bath for some reason.

Big Brother chooses the lecture Detour, but they go to the wrong hall. They decide that they’ll do the beer challenge instead.

At long last, Kristi & Jen find The Fidelio and receive their next clue. The lifeguards are lost. They bicker a little bit, with Brittany complaining about the clue and Lucas losing it until she realizes it is in her pack.

Trevor & Chris are set for their lecture, but because of the U-Turn, they’ll be required to complete both sides of the Detour. The Yale team has also discovered the party boat.

Even though Daniel & Eric had the lead, Kristi & Jen get to the beer spa first. A gentleman pulls their next clue from… well, we don’t like to speculate where. At least it seems to be covered in plastic wrap. Next up, they’ll head to the Stara Cistirna Odpadnich Vod and search outside for a clue.

Conor pours a beer for his team, but it’s all foam. At least he recognizes the issue right away. He doesn’t even bother to take it to the brewmaster.

Trevor & Chris are rocking the lecture challenge. They should finish quickly. And they do! They get a perfect score on the exam, demonstrating that they’ve got brains in addition to brawn. We appreciated the way that the Firefighters used brute force to power through the challenge, but the violinists are much more impressive.

With Kristi & Jen at the next clue location, they realize that their Roadblock is a Kafkaesque challenge that appeared in a previous season (in fact, it eliminated the Globetrotters). They are in a room full of phones. They must pick up the receiver and listen. They’re looking for a series of words that will eventually be their ticket to the next neg.

Just like last time, the Kafka challenge is supremely annoying to all involved. The dissonant noises are distracting, and several players grow frustrated. Perhaps out of desperation, several of them agree to work together. And this eventually leads to shady behavior.

The first duo doesn’t need any help. That’s Team Extreme, and Jen Hudak is a machine. She tears through the challenge as if the phones aren’t ringing. Moments later, they check in at the Pit Stop, winning this leg of The Amazing Race. They’re a wonderful combination of low maintenance, high performance athletes who seem like the safest bet to win this season.

Meanwhile, Team Yale and The Firefighters have issues. One of the twins is a bit ahead before Evan arrives. She doesn’t hesitate in asking him to work together. He jumps at the offer despite the fact that he’s already gained half of the needed words for the puzzle. He’s already sussed out that he won’t suss this out on his own.

The two of them make a strong team and quickly receive the rest of the clues. Then, Evan deduces the applicable Kafka quote, which is, “The meaning of life is that it stops.” Kafka wasn’t a lot of fun at parties, folks. Anyway, the Firefighters and Team Yale depart at nearly the same time, having proven that cooperation is easy and safe. The twins finish in second place while the debaters come in third.

The next trio is less fortunate. The IndyCar drivers and lifeguards agree to work with Team Big Brother. Specifically, Brittany and Alex deal with Jessica, who has already demonstrated that she’s untrustworthy in certain circumstances. Right on cue, Jessica decides that she’ll only help them on her terms, which is to say that she’ll lie about the words until she has the correct answer.

While standing in front of the well-dressed bureaucrats who provide the next clue, Alex gives the wrong answer, the one that makes the most sense given the words Jessica provided. Then, the Big Brother loser says, “I’m trying something but hold on. It’s completely different than this.” Jessica shoots her a dark look and only grows angrier when Jessica gets the answer right.

A moment later, Jessica departs while Brittany explains what just transpired to a befuddled Alex. He’s extremely angry over this turn of events, the first real demonstration that we’ve seen from him that wasn’t directed at his couch-dweller buddy. Neither duo will trust Big Brother from this point forward, a regrettable turn of events since Cody hasn’t really done anything.

Fate slaps Jessica around a bit. In a karmic turn of events, her cab driver gets lost, allowing exactly what she feared to occur. The IndyCar drivers AND the lifeguards beat her team to the finish line. They finish fourth and fifth while Big Brother ends up sixth.

Of course, you’ve figured out what that means. Strong astronomy skills aside, Team Well Strung is waaaaay behind the other three teams. They also have nobody to work with them during the Kafka challenge. Even though the editing indicates that they once again perform very well, the only mystery is whether this is a non-elimination leg. It’s not. The violinists lose the leg and finish seventh out of the teams participating this season.

The U-Turn totally ruined their chances. The gentlemen have the right attitude about the situation, though. They discuss how they prefer to lose due to a U-Turn rather than because they made some huge mistake. That’s exactly right, and a lot of former duos wish that they’d experienced this fate instead.