[Editors Note: This article and all others in this column WILL contain SPOILERS. If you have not seen the latest episode of The Amazing Race season 28, it’s highly suggested you do so before you read the below. You have been warned and may Phil Keoghan have mercy on your soul. And for a reminder of the super cool and descriptive nicknames we have for the teams, check out the coverage of Episode 1. You can also find all of our The Amazing Race recaps right here.]
#TheVillians…Probably Not Who You Were Expecting
I’m honestly running out of ways to say “starring social media influencers” for these articles but welcome again to my coverage of this season of The Amazing Race, now with extra social media influencer action! This is the last episode before the big season finale, the crowning of a new Race winner, and the $1 Million dollar prize that comes with it. Will #Torey continue to dominate? Will Team Rooster Teeth continue their second place winning streak? Will Dana finally consume Matt whole with her rage? Can Team Family Time continue to be true underdogs and move out of last place?
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All these questions were answered this episode but the editing took quite a few surprising turns, depicting the teams in a very different way than we’ve seen them all season. For starters, the teams’ first task is to fly to Shenzhen, China to search for their next clue. At the travel agency, #Torey decides to christen Team Rooster Teeth #TheVillians. It’s an interesting move considering that aside from making some great strategic decisions (including the one that got Frisbee Boys eliminated), Team Rooster Teeth hasn’t done anything especially villain worthy, except for Burnie and Ashley being extremely supportive of each other and kissing a lot. Viewers seemed kind of confused by this moniker, too.
Haha. #BurnieAndAshley are FAR from being #TheVillians
— Chris D (@PupRiku) May 7, 2016
Let’s Go @burnie and @AshleyJ #thevillians
— Anthony Poilucci (@Pooch_15) May 7, 2016
#BurnieAndAshley are the nicest #thevillians ever i love them #theamazingrace
— Melissa (@MelPantalone) May 7, 2016
@burnie & @AshleyJ yall weren’t #thevillians more like #AmazingRaceSaints helping out even in the last elimination leg
— marshall austin (@MrAcheivable) May 7, 2016
And it’s from this moment forward that the majority of the episode becomes a pissing match between Tyler and Burnie. Hey, I get this is the last leg before the finale and things were probably SUPER tense, but it almost seemed forced. But let’s keep moving through the episode and see if maybe I’m just overreacting, shall we?
Around The World In One Episode
Once the teams land in China, they need to find their next clue in the busy airport. #Torey, The Dancers, and Team Rooster Teeth find their clues and go to exchange money for this leg. Team Family Time decides to exchange money first and then pick up the clue. #Torey and The Dancers find their clues first, but don’t let any of the other teams know. Burnie of Team Rooster Teeth then holds up his clue and comments that there was only one left when he found it, thus calling out the other teams’ lie by omission. He also steers Team Family Time in the right direction of where to find the clue. Whether this was a good strategy is certainly debatable, but it definitely continues to ruffle Tyler’s already ruffled feathers.
But the next move in this “sudden” rivalry comes at the Road Block for this week’s episode. Teams head to an amusement park called Windows of the World, which contains over 150 miniature versions of landmarks from all around the globe. One member from each team is given a passport filled with clues and teams must collect stickers at sights they think fit the clue. Once they get them all right, they are given the next clue.
In a move I guess I get now but didn’t really understand at the time, Tyler and Dana from The Dancers decide to team up. Now, I know I haven’t always pictured Dana in the best light, but I guess I can see how her fiery personality would be one Tyler would gravitate towaords. And we must have missed a bit in past episodes because now it seems #Torey and The Dancers have been besties THIS WHOLE TIME. Again, I blame the powers that be at Race for this late-in-the-game revelation. They wanted to include some drama in the final installments and this was definitely not a storyline we’d been shown until now.
Burnie is not amused when the #Torey / The Dancers teamup decides to lie to him AGAIN. He goes ahead and takes a dig at them while running around the park.
I ACTUALLY HAD A LAUGHING FIT WHEN BURNIE RAN PAST SAYING THIS #TEAMTYLERANDKOREY pic.twitter.com/baIOFzPVKh
— carla / 104 (@oakleyspromise) May 7, 2016
You throw that shade Burnie! Or, as Burnie himself said online:
I was #sassypants in this leg. The competition was fierce. #AmazingRace
— Burnie Burns (@burnie) May 7, 2016
And so you don’t think Burnie was just pumping up his chest, he actually backs it up by finishing the RoadBlock first for Team Rooster Teeth, followed by #Torey and The Dancers.
What’s Team Family Time been up to this whole time? Well, Sherri takes on this task and well…let’s just say per her usual MO, she gets really, really lost and has to start asking people for help. They definitely have some time to make up going into the Detour.
In this moment, Sheri doesn’t know WTF is going on.
Just a Couple of #CarpenterJocks
Even though Team Rooster Teeth did finish the RoadBlock before #Torey and The Dancers, their lead is short-lived as those teams catch up on the way to their next location, which is Lychee Park. From here, teams need to choose between two tasks for the Detour: Commuter Cycle or Master of Arts.
In Commuter Cycle, teams emulate a local type of getting around, which is this weird unicycle-like contraption that kind of looks like a one-wheeled segway with tiny footholds, but without any kind of handle to hold onto. It does not look easy. Plus, on top of having to ride the thing, teams have to get dressed up in a business suit and carry a briefcase and a cup of coffee while they do it. In Master of Arts, teams have to find a marked paint brush in a sea of artists. That artist will give them a stack of art to deliver to a local art gallery. Then teams have to hang up the found art in the correct configuration and to some really strict spacing specifications.
The Dancers and #Torey decide to do Master of Arts, while Team Rooster Teeth decide to take the other route and do Commuter Cycle. This is a gamble that they’ve tried…and didn’t do so well with…before (remember when they had to pitch a tent in the snow and one of their tent poles broke?), so they are hoping it can pay off this time, keep them ahead of Team Family Time, and maybe even jump them up to first if they can jam through it quickly.
It’s a decision they almost immediately regret upon getting on one of those weird unicycle thingys. They give it a go for a good amount of time, but then decide to switch to Master of Arts.
Back at the art galleries…#Torey keep their running title as Hashtag Champions by coining #CarpenterJocks.
Tyler and Korey, continuing to throw shade at the Frisbros even after their elimination. #AmazingRace #CarpenterJocks
— Jessica Liese (@HaymakerHattie) May 7, 2016
if youtube becomes extinct one day, tyler knows what he can do for a living #carpenterjocks #TeamTylerandKorey
— amy 66 (@ataraxiahes) May 7, 2016
Tyler explaining how to properly be a #CarpenterJock.
Despite the joking around and exclamations about how cute they look in their carpenter outfits (and I will admit, they looked darn cute), #Torey is very efficient in this challenge and figure out quickly the pattern the pictures need to be hung up, as well as the exact spacing the judges are looking for (they use a term of measurement they call “smidgens”). Team Dancers is actually quite good at this challenge, too, because Matt used to flip houses when he was saving up money to LA to pursue his dance career (and hey, it’s nice to learn more about Matt since the majority of the season has focused on Dana‘s poor treatment of him).
Dana, picture here, currently not yelling at Matt.
Meanwhile, Team Family Time have finished the RoadBlock and have decided to do Commuter Cycle for their Detour. They are having similar problems as Team Rooster Teeth, but instead of switching, they decide to stick with it. Sherri actually picks it up a lot quicker than Cole and instead of getting overly frustrated, even when it started to rain and make it even harder, they keep a positive attitude and just decide to have fun.
Sheri riding into the future.
And The Final 3 Are…
As teams finish their Detours, first #Torey and The Dancers and then Team Rooster Teeth and Team Family Time (we don’t know exactly in what order because…DRAMA!), they are given just a picture as the clue for the location of the Pit Stop. It turns out they need to get to the Shenzhen Library Terrace overlooking Shenzhen Civic Center. By this time, it’s raining and there is traffic, which especially effects Team Rooster Teeth, who end up jumping out of their cab and running part of the way.
#Torey comes in first for their fifth win this season. There is some question as to what, if anything they won on this leg, as it’s not announced on the show and Korey Tweets that they still don’t know.
Phil forgot to give us our prize for 1st place this leg. We’re still waiting lol #AmazingRace #TeamTylerandKorey
— Korey Kuhl (@koreykuhl) May 7, 2016
The Dancers come in second. They received the most positive edit they’ve had all season. We’ll see if that holds into the stress of the final.
Now the editors just decide to be really, really mean and really, really stretch out who is going to be the third team to arrive. The Pit Stop is located up a flight of stairs, so of course, the cameras have this sweet vantage point to catch the team just as they round a corner and up the steps. They hold that shot for a loooooooong time guys…
My heart was racing when the camera panned to the stairs to see who was coming up. #TheAmazingRace pic.twitter.com/6UNlyaMKt4
— Jonathan Targaryen (@HypnoticNarwhal) May 7, 2016
…and it’s Team Family Time! For what seems like the millionth time this season, Cole and Sherri are able to pull ahead and this time they did it when they needed it the most. And while I’m super bummed Team Rooster Teeth is out of it, as they were my original pick to win, I also can’t fault Team Family Time for always sticking with it, even when it seemed they were too behind to make it. All in all, this will be a solid #Final3. Though I didn’t get as emotional as some people.
@tyleroakley @koreykuhl @SheriLaBrant @Thesupercole intearTHANK GOD SHERI AND COLE GOT IN #FINAL3 #TeamTylerandKorey pic.twitter.com/mL55LcTwJJ
— //Maddie//~ (@maddie_7490) May 7, 2016
And as for the seemingly weird Tyler / Burnie beef…all seems totally forgiven post-show:
nothing but love for @burnie & @AshleyJ – they were two of the smartest racers & had us cracking up around the world pic.twitter.com/heh2tWf7RH
— Tyler Oakley (@tyleroakley) May 7, 2016
. @tyleroakley & @koreykuhl are such a strong team. They made us all better by association and I am proud to call them friends.
— Burnie Burns (@burnie) May 7, 2016
Burnie also had nothing but wonderful things to say about the other teams in the #Final3. Thanks for being a class act Burnie, we’ll miss you and Ashley in the finals but you done great.
. @DanaAlexaNY & @MattSteffanina are the only team in top five that didn’t need a non-elim, an EP or a Uturn to get where they are
— Burnie Burns (@burnie) May 7, 2016
Looking forward to cheering for the Final 3. @SheriLaBrant & @Thesupercole lots of teams underestimated you two. You are all heart.
— Burnie Burns (@burnie) May 7, 2016
We’ll miss the hugs and kisses and enthusiasm, Burnie and Ashley. Good ‘Race’!
So this is it! The next leg is for all the marbles! Who do you think will win it out of this #Final3? Are you happy it came down to these teams? Let me know in the comments below and also be sure to Tweet during future episodes and you might see your Tweet featured in my finale coverage!
