We start the seventh leg at Schloss Schonbrunn in Austria and Nicole & Travis depart at 12:03pm for Abu Dhabi. The Bunnies are six minutes behind them having placed so well on their last leg, then the Afghanimals who feel they'll have an advantage because they speak some Arabic.
Tim & Marie are followed by Jason & Amy who are still a little bitter over their stolen cab. At some point in the future, not necessarily this leg but soon, you just know that they'll find a way to get back at Pinky when she'll least expect it. Leaving in last place are the IceQueens.
The Afghanimals will arrive at 5:50am, 10 minutes before the next fastest flight which arrives at 6:00am via Berlin with all the other teams. Jason and Tim have a little back and forth and Tim tells Marie that dudes don't hold grudges and keep fighting over the same stupid stuff. She points out that she doesn't fight over the same stuff and he tells her it's because she's a dude. Did Tim just call Marie a dude? That would explain so much.
Both flights arrive in Abu Dhabi on time so Leo & Jamal have a very short lead over the other teams. They have no problem finding a cab and arrive first at the Sheikh Zayad Mosque for their next clue to . . . Make their way to the Irani Souk.
Everyone else is pretty much right behind them as they all race out of the airport and into their cabs. It's nice to find a place where all the cab drivers know where they're going. When they get to the mosque all the women are required to wear a full cover in order to enter and all the men need to wear long pants. Surprised that none of the women complained about this, or more to the point, that Marie didn't.
Everyone now makes their way to the next location to receive their clue for the Detour . . .
Sort It Out; search through a variety of dates (the food not the companion) to find the correct ones and then recreate an ornate display of those dates on a large serving tray, . . . Or . . .
Sew It Up; assemble a traditional fishing net. This looks like the easier side of the detour when you see it but it's out in the direct sun and the teams are sweating. Wayne and I would probably choose Sort It Out because it's a little more artsy and were both pretty detail oriented.
As per usual right from the start of the task Marie yells at Tim as they choose Sort It Out, and the more they argue the more the other teammates have to listen to it. That seems to be their system though so if it ain't broke don't fix it. However it does make it hard for the Bunnies, Afghanimals, and IceQueens to focus on which dates are which. Maybe that's why Marie does it, to keep the other teams focused on her instead of the task at hand. I'm not sure that making yourself the villain is the best strategy but whatever works.
Jason & Amy and Nicole & Travis both chose Sew It Up, but Nicole & Travis are feeling as though they're falling behind and may need to use their Express Pass. It doesn't help when Travis notices that some of the ties that Nicole did were wrong and needed to be fixed and they also have no idea where the other teams are at on the other side of the Detour. Eventually they feel they've got a handle on it and they decide to carry on and complete the task. Finally, a medical team that can actually work well under pressure.
On the other side of the Detour the Bunnies discover a table of dates that none of the others have found and don't want to share where they found them when Leo & Jamal ask. I can't say I blame them as everything the Afghanimals do tends to be loud and obvious "look at me, look at me" and sharing that information with them means sharing it with Tim & Marie. That could be the leg up the Bunnies need to move past the others.
Jason & Amy complete their nets first and get the next clue to make their way to the Al Bandhar Marina. The Afghanimals finally realize where Nicky & Kim found the correct dates from and, as expected, are loud and obvious enough about it that the others race over to grab some. Leo & Jamal complete their dates and get the next clue around the same time that the ERDocs get their nets done, then Tim & Marie complete their dates despite Marie's constant nagging and micro-managing, and so do the IceQueens. The Bunnies have lost their leg up when they have to replace a few dates other dates. They're not far behind the rest but they're far enough.
No idea why but the Afghanimals managed to get onto the first yacht before being joined by Jason & Amy, and Nicole & Travis got the second yacht all to themselves. I would have thought that Jason & Amy would have gotten there first since they were already at the docks, but perhaps they were further away. It's not like we get a map to these things. Pinky & Brain and Ally & Ashley get on the third yacht and try to hide as the Bunnies race to the edge just as the yacht pulls away. You'd think Bunnies could move faster than that. Nicky & Kim know they're in last place but they intend to stay positive despite being 15 minutes behind.
The yachts make their way to Yas Marina where teams get the next clue to the Yas Viceroy and . . . Roadblock: one member of the team gets to zipline out and drop 200 feet, then get into a prototype race car with a professional driver and keep their eyes peeled for the circuit champion and his record speed. Leo goes first, then Jason goes (even though Amy was supposed to do all the height related tasks). If they don't get the correct racer and time they need to do it again, and again, until they find the right one . . . Sebastian Vettel; 1:40:279
Leo apparently had too much fun during the drive and missed the signs the first time around and Jason was only expecting the one sign and got confused when there were more to read. The task could be a little disorienting if you're not used to fast speeds especially when you need to remember the drivers and speeds and figure out which was fastest, but it looked like a lot of fun. Too bad they didn't get to drive as well. Eventually Leo pays attention and gets the clue after his second lap. The Afghanimals have managed to keep a fairly good lead this leg and have now received the next clue to . . . Make their way to the Champions Podium for the Pit Stop.
Leo & Jamal are the first team to arrive and also win a 5 night trip to Paris, France with a helicopter tour of the city and a spa visit. Jason got the clue after his third lap and Jason & Amy are officially Team 2. Travis completes his lap and he and Nicole are Team 3. They're a little depressed with their performance but it's a good position considering they still have their Express Pass.
Marie gets it on her second lap and she and Tim are Team 4. Ally however has missed it again. Ashley's getting a little concerned when Ally misses the name and speed for a fourth time as this has allowed the Bunnies to catch up when Kim drops in. Fortunately for Ally, Kim missed her first run, and her second, and Ally finally gets it on her sixth lap. Good thing because Kim managed to get it on her third but by then the IceQueens had already left. Ally & Ashley are Team 5 and that makes Nicky & Kim the last team to arrive. They're a little depressed having fallen from second to last but they're so happy to have these memories.
Of course Phil hasn't told them they're eliminated from the race yet, he just let's them go on for a bit. The good news for Nicky & Kim is that, when they're done, Phil informs them they can still make more memories as this is a non-elimination leg. Wayne and I have been wondering when that was going to show up (he's been predicting it for the last couple legs now). Glad to hear it because I like the Bunnies.
Next week the Bunnies will have to face a Speed Bump as well as another Double U-Turn and a race across the desert. I'm sure this would be a great place for Jason & Amy to get back at Pinky but I guess we'll have to wait and see. On that note, see you next week.