‘The Amazing Race’ Season 28 Episode 9 Recap: “Salt That Sand”

[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.]

We are down to the final six teams on this YouTube-and-social-media-star-studded season 28 of The Amazing Race. At this point, the second non-elimination leg is behind us and the Express Pass has been played (a fact only currently known to Team Rooster Teeth and Frisbee Boys, as the former was at the Pit Stop where the latter used the pass). Also, Team Family Time has to face a Speed Bump at some point this week as it came in last place last week, but wasn’t eliminated. Basically, no one is safe. Game on.

We’re Going, Going Back, Back To Bali, Bali. 

We start the episode off with some questionable Travelocity brand integration, but as I mentioned last week, I love that Gnome so I’ll allow it. The teams find out they’re heading to Bali, Indonesia and their first stop is the most photographed temple in the world aka Pura Tanah Lot. #Torey muses about when Frisbee Boys will use its Express Pass, since they don’t know it’s already been used. Tyler and Korey also and talk about the fact so far Kurt has done most of Frisbee Boys‘ Roadblocks, which means Brodie will have to pick up the slack, which could pose a problem. On the flip side, Team Rooster Teeth has done a great job of splitting up its Roadblocks, so it can now choose who should tackle what based on the activity at hand. The Kings reveal they hope to adopt children internationally, so part of the reason why they want to win the Race is to help with the adoption procedures (and as someone who doesn’t want children of their own, I’m so down with this).

Upon arrival at the temple, the teams find out they have to wait for timeslots. There are only two teams per timeslot and each timeslot is separated by 15 minutes. So, we’re back on pretty equal footing. Good news for Team Family Time. Oh, and we’re also back in taxis this leg as well, so yeah, double rainbow all the way for Team Family Time.

There are several temples to choose from and the challenge is for each team to take two offerings to two different temples. The first is a basket of fruit the teams need to balance on their heads aka gebogan. The trick here is the teams need to make the right offering to the right temple, which Frisbee Bros get wrong the first time around, giving other teams an opportunity to get past them. Team Family Time realizes this right away and in what is probably her attempt to return the kindnesses done to her during the Race, Sheri is quick to let other teams know which offering is for which temple.

The second offering goes to the Snake Temple. And the offering is, appropriately enough, big ole snakes. The teams have varying degrees of love for snakes, from Sheri LOVING THEM to The Kings HATING THEM, but the MVP of this task goes to Tyler for saying he’s delivering “Slave for You Realness” and making the cutest reaction to a snake moving EVER. In a weird perhaps related aside, Tyler was also in the dreams of several viewers this week.

I had a dream that #TeamTylerAndKorey got booted off #TheAmazingRace and I woke up really sad. 😢 @tyleroakley @koreykuhl

— Hannah Little (@hannahjolittle) April 14, 2016

I had a dream last night that I was grocery shopping with @tyleroakley. I think I’ve been watching too much of #TheAmazingRace

— Courteney Holley (@CourtasaurusRex) April 24, 2016

Everyone Gets Salty

From this task, teams now head to another temple called the Bat Temple for their next clue, which leads to what several teams deem the hardest Roadblock of the season aka Salt of the Earth. Well, all teams but Team Family Time that is…because they have to first do their Speed Bump, which consists of selling 10 traditional Indonesian breakfasts they prepare to locals and then eating one themselves before moving on (psst…the secret ingredient is goat testicles). They blast through it and still get to the Road Block before other teams. They are KILLING IT this leg.

Okay, back to Salt of the Earth. First, one person from each team has to take baskets of salt water and water down a large patch of land. Then they head to scraping stations to scrap sand into a basket. And THEN, they have to prepare four bags of salt to exacting specifications (filled a certain amount, tied a certain way). Once those are approved, they get their next clue.

For the first part of this task, upper body strength is key. So when The Kings choose Rachel for this task while all other teams choose a male member of the team, concern starts to set in. And the way teams finish the task totally validates that concern:

1. Team Rooster Teeth
2. #Torey
3. Frisbee Boys
4. Team Family Time (way to catch up!!!)
5. Team Dancers
6. The Kings

Also out of this task is the weirdest hashtag of the entire season: #MilkyMoos. What is a Milky Moos? Well, it’s apparently and ice cream shop in Cole’s home town because he credits his success at scooping salt to them. Um…yeah? Well, at least ONE person appreciated it…

@Thesupercole nice shoutout for @TroyALGov and @milkymoosintroy tonight! #milkymoos

— Jason Jones (@jonesoxygen) April 23, 2016

Teams now travel to Mertasari Beach where presumably they will participate in a Detour. But SURPRISE! This leg has TWO Roadblocks. And the team member that didn’t do the first Roadblock has to do the second. So, remember the musing about Brodie not being good at Roadblocks? That’s about to come into play.

Roadblock #2 is called Go Fly a Kite. Also a hashtag: #GoFlyaKite.

I would love to #GoFlyAKite! They look gorgeous ❤️ #AmazingRace

— Erica (@quietlikeastorm) April 23, 2016

@PhilKeoghan #GoFlyAKite #AmazingRace That building a kite looked rough

— Darth Vengeance (@mrwilliamsworld) April 23, 2016

Indeed, it was rough one. This isn’t your standard run of the mill kite. These things are very big, so big that teams had to mount a freakin’ dragon head on the front. According to Korey, “The dragon looks like one of Tyler’s ex-boyfriends.” For some teams, the scale of the kite is actually good news. That’s especially true for Team Kings as Zach is really good at building things and compares building anything to putting together Lego sets.

Unfortunately, Team Dancers has Dana working on this task and she almost immediately starts complaining (once again), annoying the locals and venting about her teammate.

Every week Dana just gives me more reasons to dislike her because of her attitude and the way she treats Matt. #TheAmazingRace

— , nataz ✌️ (@NatalieVicari) April 16, 2016

Ouch.

Brodie does terribly at this challenge, which leads several teams to wonder why he doesn’t just use his Express Pass…and then those teams realize Frisbee Boys has already used the Express Pass at the last challenge (which Brodie was also terrible at). Factoring in the fact Brodie will now need to do every Roadblock going forward, this doesn’t look good for Frisbee Boys. In the end though, these kites are totally epic and much of the fun of this episode is watching the teams #GoFlyaKite.

At the end of the kite Roadblock, here is where we stand heading into the race for the Pit Stop:

1. #Torey
2. Team Rooster Teeth (they basically finished almost at the same time but only one team could fly the kite at a time)
3. Team Family Time
4. Team Dancers
5. Frisbee Boys
6. The Kings (also finished at almost the same time as Frisbee Boys but had to wait for them to fly their kite)

I Can Row A Boat. Canoe? 

Teams now need to head to Semawang Beach and paddle an outrigger canoe to the Pit Stop. It’s on a boat that looks like a pirate boat, which is probably why when #Torey get there first they exclaim, “We’re a couple of pirates here for your booty!” Gosh, I love them. They place first this leg and win $5,000 each. Team Rooster Teeth comes in second, a place they have consistently placed during the Race. Team Family Time, in an epic make-up of time, places third followed by Team Dancers.

So, now it comes down to Frisbee Boys and The Kings. For me personally, this is tough. The Kings were one of my early favorites. As for the Frisbee Boys, even though they’ve consistently performed very well, I haven’t personally connected to them. (Maybe it’s because I just love the underdogs?) I was hoping for The Kings to pull through, but Frisbee Boys get there first and The Kings make a spectacular exit by “walking the plank” aka jumping off the boat.

was a brutal leg, but thankful to have experienced the race with my best friend @FinalCutKing thanks for all the support! #TheAmazingRace

— Rachel King (@RachelHolm3) April 23, 2016

Will miss The Kings but guess what…DOUBLE U TURN AHEAD.

Don’t know what a Double U Turn is? Tune in next week to find out. And now that we’re at the home stretch, who do you think will be out next week? Let me know in the comments below and also be sure to Tweet during future episodes and you might see your Tweet featured in a future column!