For the 10th leg, "Bull Run," we still had five teams running this leg of the race and the CountrySingers had a SpeedBump coming up as they all left the village of Engleberg, Switzerland for Seville, Spain. There's also another U-Turn coming up so that should make things interesting. Two flights to Seville split the teams up but the direct flight had less of a lead than they thought. Great Roadblock as team members became Barbers of Seville while shaving a balloon in under 60 seconds. Not as easy as it sounds as the shaving cream eats through the balloon, but eventually everyone gets it done and moves on to the Detour, even Brendon & Rachel who got this leg's bad luck cab. The Detour allowed teams to try Spanish Steps and dance the flamenco, or Run With The Bulls and wear a blow-up bull costume to race through the streets discovering clues. Wayne and I would have done the bulls (and I'd have complained about it later), and that was what everybody else did except the girls, whose SpeedBump was just a simple delivery and hardly worth mentioning, except that while they were delivering hams the Cowboys were wandering the streets which allowed them to catch up. The bull bashing looked like a lot of fun even though Leo damaged his knee, but the flamenco looked a lot less painful. Brendon & Rachel were surprised not to have been U-Turned, which was only because Dave & Connor couldn't. All teams eventually arrived at the Pit Stop, the Plaza de Espena, but all you want to know is the order . . . Dave & Connor were Team #1 and won a trip, Brendon & Rachel were Team #2, Leo & Jamal were Team #3, Caroline & Jennifer were Team #4, and Jet & Cord unfortunately were the last team to arrive and eliminated from the race. There were other teams I'd rather see gone, but that U-Turn didn't do them any favours. Adios, Amigos.
For the 11th leg, "Hei Ho Heidi Ho" it's the final four leaving the Plaza de Espena in Seville, Spain. They're on their way to Liverpool, England to score against the Liverpool FC soccer goalie, and they're all within an hour of each other so they're all on the same train and plane. Really enjoyed the shiny white Ford commercial and the confusion of all teams driving on the left. Leo's damaged leg didn't hold him back and they were the first ones off the field to search for an aqueduct in Wales. Brendon & Rachel surprised everyone else being in and out almost immediately and Dave & Connor were the last to hit the field. Can't believe the CountrySingers got somewhere before everyone else, but good luck to all four teams on memorizing that Welsh poem for the Roadblock. I'm good with languages but that would have hurt. Congrats to Brendon for getting it first, and Caroline for second, but Connor and Leo kept missing something. Brendon & Rachel were first to the Detour; Shoot It, firing a shotgun to hit a target or Boot It, tossing a water filled wellie until you reach the finish line. Wayne and I would likely have gone with Shoot It, which is what Dave & Connor and the CountrySingers went with, while Brendon & Rachel went with the boot toss, but Rachel misread the clue and when they finished they had to do it again. The girls finished the Detour first and they're off to the Pit Stop at Peckforton Castle, even before Leo & Jamal have arrived. Unfortunately they take a wrong turn on the way there and . . . Dave & Connor were once again Team #1 and won a trip to Fiji, Caroline & Jennifer were Team #2, Brendon & Rachel were luckily Team #3, and Leo & Jamal were Team #4 and the last team to arrive. Eliminated on the same leg as last season, but they went out with a smile. Time for the finale.
As per usual we get a full recap of the season with a focus on the final three teams to start off the finale, thankfully eliminating the whiny parts about Dave & Connor's U-Turn. It should be every team for themselves at this point, which is when the CountrySingers actually do their best, but I'm hoping for Brendon & Rachel (now that Jet & Cord are gone). The final three are on their way from Peckforton Castle, built in the 1800s, to their final destination, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Dave & Connor are a little concerned that Brendon & Rachel have been to Vegas before and may have a leg up, but Vegas is pretty big. Everyone arrives at the same time, gets in their Ford one after the other, and are driven to a secret location in the desert to dig for their next clue? Nope, it's a box, the contents of which are to be delivered to David Copperfield. Back to Vegas they all go.
Nice ad for the MGM Grand after the mini Ford commercial that leads to the final Roadblock, Do You Believe In Magic? Connor's up first, then Jennifer, and finally Rachel, . . . while their teammate needs to get the keys from the box and hand it to them in a locked crate. The box holds a key ring with 50 keys on it which they'll need to get unlocked from the box. More time consuming than magical, and a little worrisome for Dave when they light Connor's box on fire and hoist it in the air, only to drop it to the ground in flaming pieces. Dave is not amused, but it's not like they're going to kill someone on purpose during the race, right? Here's where the magic kicks in . . . Dave hopes.
When the box crashes they call in the fire department, which is Connor and David Copperfield hands them their next clue which leads them to the Neon Boneyard for another clue. Brendon looked a little less concerned, but Caroline was a bit stunned.
Definitely need to check out the Neon Boneyard next time I'm in Vegas. Dave & Connor get the clue to remove two bulbs from one of the signs and then make their way to the Mirage. Brendon & Rachel tried to switch cabs and steal Caroline & Jennifers, which probably cost more time than necessary, . . . especially since the girls got to the Mirage first to find that the next task is to replace the lights in the "I" on the Mirage sign.
Brendon & Rachel must have had the worst cab driver in Vegas history, because the other two teams were already at the sign and replacing bulbs before they arrived. It doesn't help that Rachel has once again misread the clue. So much for Brenchel babies, unless they trip over some sort of miracle. At least Brendon has enough sense to get out of the hotel and back to the clue box.
Dave & Connor were slowly catching up to the girls as Brendon & Rachel ascended the Mirage. Brendon & Rachel were about halfway when Dave & Connor called out 240, then corrected it to 241 to move on. The girls were right behind them and they're all off to find Maverick Helicopters in Henderson.
Lucky for Brendon & Rachel, that Dave & Connor's cab went to a dead end and bought them some time, but not enough. It's another Roadblock, which has them freefalling out of the helicopter after touring the strip for a clue to their landing spot. A little tired of Rachel's whimpering and baby talk this episode, after she's done so well through the rest of the season.
Both Dave and Caroline have jumped out of a perfectly good helicopter in a fireball. Cool. I think I'd let Wayne take this one as I can't find a really good reason to jump out of an aircraft that isn't crashing. Meanwhile, all the eliminated teams are waiting at the finish line to see who lands first. Pretty obvious it won't be Brendon, unless they've really edited tonight's footage. Everyone at the finish line wants to know who it is.
It's Dave!
Dave & Connor have won The Amazing Race All Stars. 22 cities, 9 countries and the oldest winner of The Amazing Race, as well as the first father and son winners. Caroline & Jennifer are second, thanks to two really strong legs, and unfortunately for them, Brendon & Rachel are third. Cue the waterworks.
It was a good season and I'm not displeased that Dave & Connor won, I just didn't like the way they played everyone against another team. It was a well deserved win and they were a really strong team right from the start. Not sure the girls would have been in the final three if they weren't dragged along by other teams so much, but they upped their game in the end quite nicely. Now we can all sit back and wait for Amazing Race Canada coming in July.
Of course, if you're enjoying my blog posts be sure and return on Wednesday for my review of the Survivor Cagayan finale. See you all there and enjoy the warmer weather.