Kriti Mehrotra
Following almost a year-long wait, CBS’ ‘Amazing Race‘ is back again with Season 37, and it is bigger, better, and brighter than ever before. After all, this installment is the first in the franchise’s entire run to feature some brand-new elements that no one could have ever expected. In fact, this goes to such an extent that it has even been billed as the “season of surprises” owing to the fact each leg includes a twist and a Fork in the Road. It even features a groundbreaking fourteen teams from all walks of life, which has further excited fans for its premiere episode, aptly titled ‘Double the Stakes, Double the Eliminates.’
The Feeling of Competitiveness is in the Air From the Get-Go
Although season 37 episode 1 kickstarts with the excited hollers of the entire cast at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, California, it is only because of the game. Even as the teams are introducing themselves, sharing their motivations for being a part of this series, as well as sprinkling additional personal details on top, the others are simply sizing them up. It’s evident they are all itching to just begin the race, so of course, none of them hesitate to do so the moment host Phil Keoghan gives them the green light after explaining the rules.
The 14 teams this time include married nurse anesthetists Alyssa and Josiah Borden, friends Bernie Gutierrez and Carrigain Scadden, married Las Vegas performers Brett Hamby and Mark Romain, best friends Carson McCalley and Jack Dodge, as well as dating nurses Courtney Ramsey and Jasmin Carey. Then there is father-daughter duo Ernest and Bridget Cato, siblings Han and Holden Nguyen, sisters Jackye Clayton and Lauren McKinney, mother-daughter duo Melinda and Erika Papadeas, brothers Nick and Mike Fiorito, plus father-son duo Jeff “Pops” and Jeff Bailey. There are also best friends Mark Crawford and Larry Graham, married couple Jonathan and Ana Towns, and another married duo Scott and Lori Thomson.
The first task they are given is to rush down to the entrance and find their backpacks, where they also receive the card they need to move forward with proper directions. It turns out their first leg would continue in Hong Kong, China, so they all rush to LAX to catch the very first direct flight out of there, but only three couples manage to secure tickets for it. Melinda and Erika, Jonathan and Ava, and Carson and Jack all get this incredible advantage. The other 11 teams have to wait for the second one, which takes off an hour later, making it clear there is a possibility of a significant lead early on.
Hong Kong is Not Compliant or Easy For Any Team
The fact all 14 pairings know they face a double elimination at the end of the day puts a lot of pressure on them in every sense of the term, but some definitely handle it better than others. It’s true that the three duos on the earlier flight make it to their next destination – the Tian Tan Buddha – for their next clue first, but the others aren’t far behind as they land a few minutes early. It is the ensuing taxi securing, as well as rides, that change the entire course for several of them, except Jackye and Lauren. The stairs at Tian Tan Buddha are what held them back.
Lauren candidly reveals her sister is actually terrified of stairs ever since an accident on them left her badly injured, yet she was still braving through it for the sake of the race. Jackye was living in Florida when she slipped down a flight of stairs during hurricane season, scarring her not only physically but also mentally in the form of trauma as well as a phobia. This resulted in her being really slow on the hundreds of steps they had to face, which subsequently led to them being the last ones to get the clue and leave for their next stop – Pier #5 for the Sun Ferry.
Jonathan and Ava are the first to arrive here, with Carson and Jack not far behind, yet the former alone manages to get tickets on the earliest ferry and board with seconds to spare. The rest of the 12 teams – with the exception of Jackye and Lauren – all get on the one 45 minutes later to head to Cheung Chau Island for their next clue. The married couple dominates by quickly getting their next clue, too, unaware that others will soon catch up because their return ferry makes them wait. This infuriated the Towns since they felt as if all their efforts had gone to waste.
The Fork in the Road Tests Not Just Skill But Also Patience
While 13 teams return to Hong Kong together, they make it to their next destination, Lok Kwan Street Park, several minutes apart owing to some having a hard time getting a taxi. Jackye and Lauren are still earning their next clue at the previous stop during this, but the others are facing the new element of Fork in the Road, wherein they are to choose one challenge over the other. Only half of them are allowed to go through each, so it builds a clear yet parallel divide for them before they are to find the pit stop and possibly face the dreaded double elimination.
The very first Fork in the Road ever is a choice between singing and dancing, only for it to later turn out that it will be judged by a professional who would be looking at the entire performance. The teams to pick singing head to Xiu Center’s Tea House Theater to learn a bit of opera, whereas the dancing ones are led to Jao Tsung-I Academy to learn the traditional lion dance. By the time Jackye and Lauren even reach Lok Kwan Street Park to make their choice, it has already been made for them because singing is the only option left, which they are pleasantly excited by.
The sisters admittedly love to sing, so they don’t hesitate to rush to Xiu Center, unaware that some other teams have already earned approval and have been allowed to move ahead. In singing, Alyssa and Josiah struggled with the actions and pronunciation. Scott and Lori had to remember to be graceful, and Jeff “Pops” and Jeff Bailey realized they could not jump around. In dancing, matching the steps to the beat of the drums while remaining in formation was hard for almost every team, which tested their patience as well as teamwork more than anything. Nevertheless, sooner or later, they all made it through.
The Sword of Double Eliminations Causes Chaos
Once each team is given approval by the professionals to move forward, the clue card given to them reveals their pit stop is the West Kowloon Cultural District Art Park Terrace. It also mentions that the last team to make it there from each Fork would be eliminated, resulting in everyone just rushing to the location as soon as they realize it is now all or nothing. Carson and Jack, from the dancing challenge, end up being the first to make it to that point overall, so they earn $3,000 with no strings attached. Similarly, the winners from the singing category, Alyssa and Josiah, also earn that sum.
It is neck and neck for who will be eliminated in the dance category, considering Courtney and Jasmin, as well as Mark and Larry, are given the last approvals moments apart. However, Mick and Nick, who got cast in the show after applying for 7 years, soon join the mix too as it turns out they are unable to get a taxi, no matter what. They all honestly reach the terrace mere seconds apart, but retired firefighters and friends since 1987, Mark and Larry are the last to step in front of host Phil Keoghan, so they are eliminated. Yet, knowing they just had a once-in-a-lifetime experience alongside the person who means the most to them made them proud of everything they did.
As for the team eliminated from the singing category, it is unsurprisingly sisters Jakcye and Lauren from Waco, Texas. After their initial delay, they just couldn’t catch up, but even they regret nothing. That’s because they joined this competition as a way to honor their mother, which they believe they definitely did. Their mother had worked all her life thinking she would travel once she retired, yet a Parkinsons’ diagnosis not long after she did eventually step away from her career poured water over all her plans. The chance to experience beautiful Hong Kong, even in foggy rain, was more than enough for them. So now, with 12 teams remaining, things are only bound to get even more interesting, and we can’t wait to see what’s in the cards next.
Read More: All the Locations Where The Amazing Race 37 Was Filmed
