Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls of all nations I thought I’d try something different, something I’ve watched from the first seasons. “The Amazing Race”. With all, that’s been going on around the world and with Covid-19 impacting so many things we enjoyed and people’s lives there’s no reason why my favorite reality show itself wasn’t impacted however they held on and continued to entertain us with all the regulation and requirements.

For those that don’t know, The Amazing Race is a reality show where 11 couples come to compete against one another around the world for a total of 1 Million Dollars.

The couples aren’t restricted by their relationship status, they can be either friends or family, married or separated, both boys or girls or even a mix, nothing is restricted. You just need a passport and be willing to give it you’re all.

The couples for season 33 are as follows: Kim and Penn, Internet Personalities that make quirky videos with their children over the internet. Raquel and Cayla, Flight attendants. Ryan and Dusty, are best friends forever. Ryan was arrested and imprisoned for a crime he had not committed, he spent 10 years behind jail bars with his best friends Dusty never giving up on him and staying with him throughout the whole ordeal.

Arun and Natalia, father and daughter grew up watching The Amazing Race together. Lulu and Lala, are identical twins and radio hosts. Akbar and Sheri, married educators. Michael and Moe, are police officers who made a viral video with their singing skills. Anthony and Spencer, are childhood friends that saved many lives when terrorists tried to hijack a train.

Connie and Sam, are a married couple. Caro and Ray, dating couple from another reality show and our last couple, Taylor and Isaiah, YouTube sensations.

On the first leg, All Teams left the United States for their first destination London, England. This season’s first Detour was a choice between Artist Den or Digiben. Where in Artist Den, teams had to properly paste a 36-piece Banksy-style poster to a wall to receive their next clue. In Digiben, teams had to find a bobby in Parliament Square by Big Ben then find a promoter by Little Ben who would send them to DJ Digiben in Piccadilly Circus tube station with their next clue.

Artist-Den was no simple Detour as it required the teams to pay close attention to detail with one mistake possibly costing you the 1 million dollars in minutes. While the other detour Digiben, needed teams to have their history of England at the back of their heads. Team Akbar and Sheri struggled to find the “Bobby”, which is another word to call a police officer. Watching Connie and Sam pass the Bobby then question themselves whether it could or could not be him was probably the funniest part of the entire episode.

While Michael and Moe didn’t pay attention to detail on their Artist-Den detour which had them starting all over again and costing them plenty of time because of the fragile material they were using.

After the Detour, teams had to find “The Queen and Boris Johnson having a nosh” at The Chipping Forecast to receive their next clue.

No one wants to be the first team to be eliminated on The Amazing Race, especially if it’s people that are supposed to be saving people’s lives which requires you to be calm and get all the facts first but sadly the “Singing Police Officers” were the first team to be eliminated. Which had me thinking why their video went viral in the first place, they should be keeping the order but instead, they’re making videos for their fans on the job lol, with the first team winning the first leg being Anthony and Spencer, who won a trip for two to the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The Second leg continues in England with all teams traveling to the Postal Museum where their first Roadblock awaits. In this season’s first Roadblock, one team member had to ride a train along the Mail Rail to a loading dock and sort through a bin filled with packages and envelopes to find their next clue. While some team members found this Roadblock to be extremely easy, some couldn’t comprehend that it could be that easy and decided to go off script and look even further than required. That’s what I call a bad case of paranoia.

Once they return to their significant other, they are allowed to open and read their clue for their next destination. The teams had to choose between their next detours. This leg’s Detour was a choice between Bullseye, Mate, or Decorate. In Bullseye, Mate, both team members had to score a bullseye on a dartboard in the same six tosses round to receive their next clue. In Decorate, teams were presented with 12 cakes that resembled the flags of Sierra Leone, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Norway, Germany, Brazil, Russia, Jamaica, France, Chile, Thailand, and Colombia and had to replicate two cakes from countries that are part of the European Union (France and Germany) to receive their next clue from the master baker.

Teams who chose the Bullseye detour would face a challenge that required eye coordination, great aim, know how to play darts and a lot of luck as team Arun and Natalia figured out, the father and daughter team were such a joy to watch throughout the entire series. You could tell they were overjoyed to be on their favorite show that they grew up watching together. As for the other detour it required teams to know their flags, geography of the world, and knowledge of the European Union, though there was a bit of trick to this one as they were in England at the moment, some teams had forgotten or simply did not know that England was no longer a part of the European Union.

The first team to reach the pitstop was Ryan and Dusty, best friends who stuck with each other no matter what. The beautiful chemistry between Ryan and Dusty was a wonder to watch. While Dusty is more connected to his emotions and acts a certain way depending on his emotions, Ryan is the more calm and mature between the two. Always knowing how to calm Dusty in his most difficult situation. While our favorite twins Lulu and Lala came in last however this was a non-elimination leg so they survived to see another a day.

The remaining 10 teams travel from England to Glasgow, Scotland via Railway where a new roadblock awaits the teams. However, the biggest challenge of this leg turns out to be manual transmission on the vehicles which flips the script on most of the teams such as Akbar and Sheri, Arun and Natalia, and Connie and Sam. Some teams had gone for manual transmission practice just days before the race began while others have no idea how to drive stick in the first place putting a lot of pressure and stress on all couples, especially Ray and Caro. As they met on another reality dating show placed around the perfect environment for couples to form bonds, they had never seen one another in difficult situations till now.

In this leg’s Roadblock, one team member had to assemble a set of bagpipes and then play a drone alongside the Johnstone Pipe Band for the length of a Scottish anthem to receive their next clue from the pipe major. Attention to detail and following instructions are key for this roadblock which most teams have figured out by now during the race. While Arun and Natalia had finished the roadblock in record time, their downfall began when trying to help another team rather than running their race, which places the team in a peculiar situation after losing much-needed time.

With all teams having completed their roadblocks, their next detour awaits them. This leg’s Detour was a choice between Kilt or Rebuilt. In Kilt, teams had to learn and perform the song “Donald Where’s Your Troosers?” in Highland dress to receive their next clue. In Rebuilt, teams had to remove the top two metal hoops from two whisky barrels, hammer in a new head into each barrel’s croze, and replace the hoops to receive their next clue from the master cooper.

The all-girls team Raquel and Cayla were determined to win the amazing race and would not let anything get in their way, whether mental or physical, they were determined to destroy the stereotype that only men could do certain tasks and with that drive took on the Rebuilt detour that required a lot of physical strength to even open one barrel but they pushed through while other teams had a seriously hard time with a man in a team. Some teams deiced to change detours thinking it would be easier to Kilt rather than Rebuilt.

Arun and Natalia once again struggled with both detours but pushed on till the end, I unexpectedly started to enjoy seeing the father and daughter duo as they were funny in ways one would not expect, particularly because they have been watching the race since Natalia was still young. Natalia had this humorous way of motivating her father by saying, “Do it for Mom” and Arun would reply by saying “I’m doing it for myself” and also Arun had this saying whenever he got frustrated “Are you freaking kidding me” which would lead me to burst into tears of laughter whenever I heard it.

This would be the first leg that Kim and Penn would end up winning and certainly not the last. For winning this leg of the race they won a trip for two to Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Unfortunately, Arun and Natalia would be the last team to arrive at the pitstop and became the second team to be eliminated from the race. At the end of the leg, Phil gathered all of the teams at the Pit Stop to announce the suspension of the show, due to the COVID-19 pandemic as their safety came first and all teams agreed to this decision.

With nearly nineteen months of absence, Phil Keoghan had arranged with the remaining teams to meet in St. Gallen, Switzerland to restart the race from the moment we left off. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, not all teams could make it back. Where some lost family, others lost their job and their means to provide for their families. The teams that could not return were Connie and Sam due to pregnancy, Anthony and Spencer due to a new job opportunity that and could not take leave after beginning a new job. Taylor and Isaiah have not given a reason for not returning whereas Ray and Caro had broken up during the delay. But in their place, father and daughter team Arun and Natalia were asked to return, same with everyone’s favorite singing police officers Michael and Moe.

The teams that returned not in particular order were Kim and Penn, Lulu and Lala, Akbar and Sheri, Raquel and Cayla, and lastly Ryan And Dusty. Before the race begins, Phil asked everyone how they had managed during the race and what they had learned from this pandemic to which most teams answered with similar answers that they had grown as a person and learned to finish what they started, which is the reason for their returns.

With all the teams now ready and the air cleared, the race begins in Switzerland with a roadblock. In this leg’s Roadblock, one team member had to navigate a via ferrata to their next clue. The amazing thing about this leg is during the bus ride in group two which had returnees Arun and Natalia with Michael and Moe who were adamant that they would not be the last team to reach the pitstop this leg lol, yet Arun and Natalia still did not learn how to ride a map or learn how to drive a manual that was their worst nightmare and the reason they were eliminated in the first place lol but this is just the beginning so we’ll have to watch how much they had improved over the months.

This Roadblock was brutal to Sheri who was made to walk down a mountain to pick up her clue then back up the mountain where the air is dense, making it harder to breathe but her husband did not understand the amount of pressure she must have felt as she was always the one to undertake the most physical of tasks.

Once all teams received their clues, they had to choose between two detours. This leg’s Detour was a choice between Punch It or Toss It. In Punch It, teams had to attach ornaments to a Swiss belt so that they told a story to receive their next clue from the master belt maker. In Toss It, teams had to learn and correctly perform a Swiss flag throwing routine known as fahnenschwingen to receive their next clue.

Whilst most teams went for Toss it as it sounded easier, the detour proved not the walk in a park. It required a lot of physical strength and coordination from both parties in the team. On the other hand “Punch it” needed teams to pay close attention to detail which team Moe and Michael failed to do so again. You’d think that after being eliminated first and getting a second chance that the police officers would come back with the notion of not making the same mistakes twice but unfortunately for them, lighting can strike twice in the same area, resulting in their elimination from the race once again.

The winners of this leg of the race were Ryan and Dusty with their second win of the season, proving once and for all to the other teams that they were in it for the win. For their win of this leg of the race, they had won “two thousand five hundred” dollars each.

Onto leg five of the race and probably the funniest leg of the entire season. Teams continued in Switzerland by driving close to 2 hours to their next roadblock. This leg’s Roadblock was a Switchback from Season 14, where one team member had to perform a 722-foot (220 m) bungee jump off of the Verzasca Dam, the second highest commercial bungee jump in the world, with the Travelocity Roaming Gnome to receive a satchel with a miniature clue. However, before we can address what happened at the roadblock Cayla gives Raquel the wrong directions to the roadblock resulting in them losing their 3rd place position to 5th. Raquel all the while having thought that they were ahead of the other teams came to a shocking pause in disbelief. Cayla on the other hand when realizing that she had given Raquel wrong directions decided to keep quiet.

This roadblock was certainly a difficult challenge for Kim and Penn. Kim suffers from anxiety and anyone with anxiety would agree that performing a 722 foot (220 m) bungee jump off the Verzasca Dam is close to suicide but Kim thinking of her children gathered up the courage and performed the jump with no hesitation. Seeing Penn cry as his wife returned from the jump was the sweetest thing ever and at that most became my favorite team to win the race. Though let’s not forget Sheri and Akbar. Akbar was prohibited from performing this task as he was over the weight limit and required Sheri to perform the jump by default. Sheri made me in a bucket full of tears with all her “OMG” phrases. She had probably said that over ten times before she finally jumped.

This roadblock was not only challenging but also what some members needed. And there’s no doubt that after this challenge you could see a change in Kim and Sheri the most. Kim who was closed off had become more active and upbeat. Sheri who had this huge responsibility of taking on such tough tasks had realized she was stronger than she knew and felt at ease for the first time in the race. The rest of the teams went through the challenge like butter though Lulu and Lala were nervous for one another, being twins it was stated that they could feel each other’s fears and nervousness but killed it in the end.

With clues in their hands, the teams were on to their next detours. This leg’s Detour was a choice between Bartender Race or Sausage Encase. In Bartender Race, teams had to deliver 12 bottles of wine and 12 bags of chestnuts from street vendors to a cocktail party atop the 400-foot (120 m) Salita degli Angioli stairway to receive their next clue from the head bartender. In Sausage Encase, teams had to squeeze out nine feet (2.7 m) of luganighetta sausage then divide it into four coiled portions to receive their next clue from the butcher.

Bartender Race is the first detour to humble both Ryan and Dusty on the race. Even though Ryan climbs up mountains and is physically active on a daily basis, this detour put them through the process of instead of rushing at everything, they should take things slow and easy before they hurt themselves. Kim and Penn had done the same but Akbar and Sheri are a peculiar case. Whilst Sheri thought they could do everything in two trips, Akbar advised her to rethink the situation. It took Sheri seeing the 400-foot (120 m) stairs to rethink her decision, which was so funny at the moment. Whilst team Lulu and Lala with Arun and Natalia had decided to do the Sausage Encase detour.

Lulu and Lala felt right at home while doing this detour, it reminded them of their late grandmother who unfortunately passed due to covid. They mentioned that it’s times moments like these in the kitchen with their grandmother that they loved and enjoyed with her a lot however an unwelcomed guest had chosen to break the good moment in a form of an annoying “bee” which had Lulu looking like she was fighting herself lol… After the Detour, teams had to retrieve a photograph from their Travelocity Roaming Gnome’s satchel and figure out that it depicted Parco Ciani, this leg’s Pit Stop.

The winners of this leg of the were once again Ryan and Dusty with an impressive winning streak starting to form. As winners of this leg of the race, they had won a trip for two to Dominica. Arun and Natalia who were last to reach the pitstop were given the good news of this leg of the race not being an elimination leg. Meaning they had survived eliminated once again. How lucky can this father and daughter team be?

The remaining six teams were now leaving Switzerland and headed to France via aircraft. What awaits them in France can only be disclosed after they land. Once in France teams needed to head for Belvédère de Corte, once there teams had to find their next clue and a canister of goat milk, which they would need for the Detour. This leg’s Detour was a choice between Say Cheese or Mule, Please. In Say Cheese, teams had to make three baskets of cheese then deliver them to the storage cave to receive their next clue from the cheesemaker. In Mule, Please, teams had to properly strap a harness to a mule then deliver two milk canisters to the fromagerie without spilling any milk to receive their next clue from the cheesemaker.

You could say this was the challenge that broke the camel’s back for Ryan and Dusty who was the first team to arrive at the “Say Cheese” detour. Not only could they not figure out how to get the perfect temperature for the making of the cheese, but even with the 15 minutes lead they had for arriving first at the previous pitstop, all other teams had eventually caught up to them while Kim and Penn passed them and taking first place from the boys since the last leg’s.

This didn’t sit well with Dusty who started to panic, in his panic, the other teams almost started feeling sorry for them even. The boys could not figure out how to keep the temperature at just the correct heat to make the cheese, causing them to lose a lot of time and almost burn themselves out. With the last team Arun and Natalia completing their the detour before them and officially making them last. The boys decide to change detours and make up ample time, catching up to the other teams at the roadblock.

In this leg’s Roadblock, one team member had to go canyoning through a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) river course to find their next clue. It was finally time for Akbar to show us what he could do now that Sheri had done almost every roadblock till now. Akbar came onto the show preaching about how he and Sheri met playing Basketball so he knows that they are physically capable of doing anything they put their minds to however things took a turn now that Akbar had all the responsibility riding on his shoulders. From the first leg, he had mentioned that Sheri isn’t giving her all in these roadblocks however now the ball was in his court the man could do nothing but complain, which was quite funny when you think about it.

The difference between the two is that when Sheri did the detours she focused on the goal but Akbar comes up with excuses for the challenge. It’s either he’s too tall, or the clothes are too tight for him to move in properly but the true answer is that he himself is unfit and puts too much pressure on others but expects a slide when he comes up short. Ryan who was probably a good 30 minutes behind him caught up to him and overtook him for the 5th position. Sheri gazed in amazement when Arun who left Akbar arrived with the clue before him and said it herself that he now knows how it feels to do a roadblock. However, Sheri being the kind person she is decides not to hold it over his head and just comforts him. Akbar was so beat when he returned from canyoning, you would think he ran a whole marathon lol… It was sad to watch.

After the Roadblock, teams had to inflate a kayak and then paddle up the Tavignano river to the Pit Stop. The winners of this race were Kim and Penn and winners of this leg they had both won “five thousand” dollars each. Unfortunately, the last-place team to arrive at the pitstop were Akbar and Sheri, the team was eliminated from the race. Need we mention Ryan and Dusty who could not help taking their vests off when they arrived at the pitstop in third. Leaving Cayla and Raquel in awe lol…

With the 7th leg kicking off, teams continue their race in France. Teams had to drive to Tour de Fautea and what awaited them is something out of a horror movie. Both team members had to eat a piece of bread with casgiu merzu, cheese that contains maggots, to receive their next clue. I cannot imagine eating maggots, not even to save my life but yeah it’s full of protein, and the facial expressions on the team’s faces when eating it was priceless lol…

With the clue in hand, off to their next detour. This leg’s Detour was a choice between Row, Row, Row Your Boat, or Gently Down the Stream. In Row, Row, Row Your Boat, teams had to paddle a transparent kayak into the Mediterranean Sea and retrieve ten matching metal fish to receive their next clue from a fisherman. In Gently Down the Stream, teams had to take a 15-minute cruise on a glass-bottom boat called Aquavision, look for ten metal fish, then find a fish chart with the exact sequence of fish at a dive shop to receive their next clue from a diver.

Amazingly enough, since “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” required a lot of energy and fortitude only Ryan and Dusty took on this daring challenge while the rest of the other teams decided to take on “Gently Down the Stream”. Not only that but teams Kim and Penn with Cayla and Raquel formed an alliance to work together to find the fishes and with Penn’s ADHD he could memorize it with ease. They cleared the roadblock on their first attempt while teams Arun and Natalia with Lula and Lala also worked together on helping one another to complete the challenge before the boys Ryan and Dusty.

Though alliance teams Lulu and Lala with Arun and Natalia did not communicate on how they would memorize the fish, causing the team to take the boat trip twice. At this point of the race, it’s clear that Lulu and Lala have a bad habit of doubting their own decisions and being clumsy, on the other hand, Arun and Natalia have some of the worst GPS skills I’ve ever seen on “The Amazing Race”.

In this leg’s Roadblock, one team member had to repair the holes in a fishing net to receive their next clue. This roadblock seems easy enough though once you begin it becomes a different monster. Great attention to detail is key to completing this task but once you have it, it’s easy-peasy as Penn figured out the hard way.

The winners of the 7th leg were once again Kim and Penn with their first win streak and as winners of this leg of the race won a trip for two to Antalya, Turkey. Arun and Natalia who arrived last again to the pitstop were again saved by this being a non-elimination leg. Meaning they had officially become the luckiest team ever on the amazing race for not only avoiding elimination but also getting a second chance to race again in the same season. The blessings for this father and daughter duo are abundant.

For the 8th leg of the race, teams travel from France to Greece. The 8th leg came in the twist of there being two roadblocks during this leg of the race, giving team members a lot to think about and consider when taking on each task. However, before that teams had to drive to Konstantinos Olive Grove, where teams had to search among the olive trees for their next clue.

Having read the clue teams had to tackle their first roadblock. In this leg’s first Roadblock, one team member had to properly make 60 dolmades to receive their next clue from Marianna. Marianna would show each team member how to make dolmades and this was crucial in the making of this roadblock as even using the wrong side of the leaf would result in failure to follow instructions and waste of time. With only 5 teams left, there can be no room for mistakes.

Raquel had it rough as no matter how many times she tried to complete the task Marianna would not approve of her dolmades to the point Raquel thought maybe Marianna had it out for her, the poor lady is only doing her job and if perfection is what she wants, it’s perfection that she’ll get. Kim also felt Marianna was a bit too strict but overcome the roadblock nevertheless.

Onto the next clue, teams are required to drive to Mamo’s Kantina Stand, where teams had to order the dish of the day from Dimitra (souvlaki), spell its name, then eat it before finding their next clue on the wrapper. Now, this was a tricky one, who looks at the wrapper of your meal once you’re done? Lulu and Lala once again as clumsy as they are failed to look at the wrapper and even ordered seconds in hopes that they may have eaten the clue lol… Lulu and Lala are such adorable twins, they are like children who you want to help no matter what. Even Dimitra looked sad when the twins couldn’t figure out that the clue is in the wrapper, not to mention the twins had lost their way and arrived at the pitstop before even completing all the tasks of the leg. It’s ultimately time wasted that ruined their leg and bad communication.

In the second “Roadblock” of the leg, the team member who did not perform the previous Roadblock had to listen to a 15-minute sermon from a Greek Orthodox priest that would list facts about ten saints and would then be asked five questions by a vendor with saint icons. Racers had to pick the correct icons to receive their next clue. The questions were: (1) Which saint was put to death on Christmas Day, December 25th? (Saint Anastasia), (2) Which saint’s name is derived from the Greek word for peace? (Saint Irene (in Italian)), (3) Which is the patron saint of travelers? (Saint Christopher), (4) Which saint lived in an almond tree for three years? (Saint David of Thessaloniki), (5) Which saint served in the Roman army under the emperor Decius? (Saint Mercurius).

Ryan did not see this coming even as patient as he is. After hearing about 5 saints ran off to complete the questions to find himself perplexed at the vendor asking the questions. Ryan had no idea that the priest’s sermon was 15 minutes long per interval. Penn also was caught off guard by the long sermons but still managed to get the questions correct on his first attempt. This ADHD has its perks and I love that Penn doesn’t want people to feel sorry for him or some sort of way about it. He embraces it proudly and uses its perks to his advantage.

The winners of this leg were Kim and Penn with their 3rd win in a row and as winners of this leg, they won “Seven Thousand Five Hundred” each. It was painful to see the twins Lulu and Lala being eliminated at the end of the leg however they went out with a splash and did the best they could. Beautiful souls till the end.

Now things are heating up with only 4 teams left in the race. The “One Million” dollars is right around the corner. Teams continue their race in Greece and the roadblock was definitely not for the faint-hearted as Dusty was about to find. In this leg’s Roadblock, one team member had to turn over stones until they found one of four gold coins that they could exchange with an Oracle of Delphi impersonator for their next clue. There are more than Five Hundred stones of different shapes and sizes, to think you had to find 1 of 4 in the possibilities of hundreds is crazy.

The most challenging aspect about this roadblock was that you had no clue as to where the ones with the tokens are and if by some chance someone finds one, it makes it only makes it that much harder for the teams left to find. Kim and Penn who were the first to arrive at the Roadblock eventually were greeted by all the other teams behind them, that’s how hard it was finding the correct stones was. They tried to give each other space to search but when one team confirms that they searched the entire area without finding a token no one would want to search there because one team has already searched and found nothing. This was a mind game at the highest level and it took Dusty over two and half hours to complete the roadblock.

His teammate Ryan saw how distressed his friend was and helped calm him down by taking in the view of Thessaloniki when all the other teams left the challenge, leaving them in last. The bromance between Ryan and Dusty was clear to see how they each complimented each other in difficult situations. It was nice to see how Ryan would hold up his friend in such a frustrating situation. But this was no time to slow down, after calming his friend down Dusty went in again and found the stone causing the young man to scream out in bliss. On to “Trigonion Tower”.

At the Trigonion Tower, teams had to listen to the words of wisdom from a Socrates impersonator before receiving their next clue. This season’s final Detour was a choice between Bring ‘Em or Break ‘Em. In Bring ‘Em, teams had to deliver 300 plates uphill to Cafe Jasmine to receive a miniature clue from the restaurant owner. In Break ‘Em, team members had to alternate breaking plates while a band was playing until they found a miniature clue.

All the teams decided to choose “Break ‘Em” in response to the previous roadblock. Teams were smashing those plates with smiles wide on their faces, you could feel their frustration and pleasure in breaking the plates lol, even Kim who hardly smiles when frustrated had nothing but white teeth posing as if she were on a photo-shoot lol… At the White Tower, teams were greeted with the words of wisdom from a Diogenes impersonator.

The winners of this leg of the race were Raquel and Cayla who finally managed to bag in their first win on the “The Amazing Race” and for being the winners of this leg they won a trip for two to Kauai, Hawaii. The girls had always wanted to win at least one leg but their main goal is to become the next all-women team to win “The Amazing Race”, this was just a start to them. And because this was a non-elimination leg, Dusty and Ryan who arrived last at the pitstop were given the best news ever, that they still had a chance to make it into the top 3 and win this race.

With no more non-elimination it’s game on as we start the tenth leg of the race. All four teams were on the same flight from Greece to Lisbon, Portugal. Once in Portugal, teams had to make their way to Setúbal (Fortaleza de São Filipe) and from atop Fortaleza de São Filipe, teams had to search for an Amazing Race flag and drive to its location to find their next clue to their first roadblock.

In this leg’s first Roadblock, one team member had to search among several rowboats that listed the names of famous Portuguese people until they found one of four that listed the name of a Portuguese explorer (Bartolomeu Dias, Fernão de Magalhães, Pedro Álvares Cabral, and Vasco da Gama) and row it across the marina to a fisherman to receive their next clue. Although some explorers’ names were recognizable they were so few that some teams took a chance, whether they were right or wrong they were willing to take a chance. Arun and Natalia suffered during this roadblock as Arun could not figure out how to row the boat and on top of that had taken the wrong boat with the name of not an explorer. This cost them time and money as they were last to leave the roadblock but not so long after Ryan and Dusty had also completed the roadblock.

Their next destination was the Mercearia Confiança de Troino, once there teams had to pick a sardine can and then make their way to Rua Vasco da Gama to paint its design on a specified door to receive their next clue. This required teams to pay close attention to detail once again which Ryan and Dusty failed to follow. They either forgot to paint the door or thought perhaps the doorknob should not be altered in case someone actually tries to use the door ending up with wet paint on their hands, which I can completely understand. This task proved to be more enduring than initially thought.

In the final roadblock of the season, the team member who did not perform the previous Roadblock had to count the church’s columns while standing within a stone boundary and give the correct number (106) to a monk, who would direct them to the Pit Stop. This also proved to be quite challenging, especially for those with bad eye-site, the further columns were hard to see even for us watching on the screens, it’s hard to tell how many columns were at the end so teams had to come up with a way of counting the columns without losing focus.

Penn who had arrived there first was overtaken by Cayla who clearly has 20-20 vision with no sense of direction lol… The final spot for top three was very close between father and daughter, and best friends but in the end, the best team made it into the top three being Internet personalities, Kim and Penn”, Flight Attendants, “Raquel and Cayla” who had also won the tenth leg of the race and as winners had won a trip for two to “Saint Luca” and lastly Best friends “Ryan and Dusty”.

With the final leg ready to begin and our top three teams ready to show us why they made it this far, one can only say the words “LET’S GOOOO”. All teams are now leaving Lisbon, Portugal on a flight to California, USA. The race will start at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel, teams had to make their way to a clue box atop three of the hotel’s four towers and spot the combination “going up and down” on an elevator needed to unlock their next clue. With Dusty and Ryan not figuring out that the clues are on the elevators of their specific tower, another tricky task that Raquel and Cayla figured out in a heartbeat, The ladies are definitely poised to win this race being the first to leave the Westin Bonaventure Hotel, with Kim and Penn no so far behind them.

Clue in hand all teams are to drive to El Pueblo de Los Ángeles Historical Monument, once there one team member had to direct their partner, who was blindfolded with a luchador mask, to hit three specific piñatas (a tiny donkey, a taco, and a paper star) that had the three parts of their next clue. Which Penn almost cleared all off by himself, the man was smacking everything he felt, no time to breathe just smack anything that is front of you is what was going through Penn’s mind. The race was super close between Kim and Penn, and Raquel and Cayla. Both teams were neck and neck with each other, can’t remember I saw a race this close on “The Amazing Race”.

Once they found all pieces to their clue, they were headed for 6465 Sunset Boulevard – S.I.R. Hollywood with a task that is right around Kim and Penn’s avenue, so they had to make up for lost time on this one. The task that awaits them at 6465 Sunset Boulevard – S.I.R. Hollywood is that teams had to become foley artists by using props to add sound effects in sync to five silent video clips from previous seasons (Brendon & Rachel performing the Running with the Ballz Detour in Season 24, Lena Jensen unrolling hay bales in Season 6, Claire Champlin being hit with a watermelon in Season 17, Amanda & Kris performing the Austrian Folly Detour in Season 14, and Colin Guinn performing the Plow Detour in Season 5) to receive their next clue. Raquel and Cayla were still ahead of the pack and only that much closer to winning the season and becoming the new all-women team to win “The Amazing Race”, I swear they could see the light under the tunnel. That’s how close they were however their next destination was the home of the LA Galaxy (Dignity Health Sports Park) where their next clue awaits.

At Dignity Health Sports Park, teams had to answer thirteen riddles by placing the correct tennis rackets with images of people, places, and items they encountered on previous legs (not including the first three legs from the original production run) onto the riddles before a tennis umpire would direct them to cross the Finish Line. Teams had to be observant as some rackets had similar images with minor differences.

This was the final task and whoever completed this task first would undoubtedly become the winners of “The Amazing Race” Season 33. With all the previous teams awaiting to see who appears from the gate, Kim and Penn come running to the final pitstop and are officially announced by Phil Keoghan to be the winners of The Amazing Race and the winners of the “One Million” dollars with Raquel and Cayla only minutes behind them.

This season of The Amazing Race sure had its problems but overall it was what I was waiting for, and I am impressed at the whole staff of the race. How would they continue broadcasting during Covid and would it still be the same old race that we share and love? My answers are yes and yes, I want more and more. Perhaps they should have a twins-only race, just a thought.

Congratulation to Kim and Penn for running an amazing, honest and quirky race. They found joy at all points of the race even though they were the oldest team, they didn’t let age stop them, they didn’t let their conditions disadvantage them. They pushed through and ran their own race. Same to Raquel and Cayla, and Ryan and Dusty.

Thank you for everything The Amazing Race Staff.

And Thank you for reading…