The Amazing Race Season 37 Episode 10 Recap: Up the River Without a Joust

If there’s one thing absolutely nobody can deny, it’s that CBS’/Paramount+’s Phil Keoghan-hosted ‘The Amazing Race’ season 37 is full of surprises – both good and bad – at every single turn. It starts with a record-breaking 14 different teams before also introducing some entirely new aspects, but the biggest shock came at the end of episode 9, as it was announced to be a non-elimination leg. Siblings Han and Holden Nguyen thus get an unexpected lifeline, which they truly make the most of in episode 10/leg 10 of this original production, aptly titled ‘Up the River Without a Joust.’

Apart From One Team, No One Has Any Advantage in this Next Stretch of Adventure

Since married couple Ana and Jonathan Towns had managed to secure first place at the end of the previous chapter in Italy, they are the first to get the initial Route Information for leg 10. It is 11:51 am that they learn their next stop is a local travel agency in Naples, from where they have to book an international flight to Frankfurt, Germany, and then an immediate train to Strasbourg, France. They are followed by married Vegas performers Brett Hamby and Mark Romain at 11:56 am, only for married nurse anesthetists Alyssa and Josiah Borden to be next (third) at exactly 12:17 pm.

Therefore, based on preceding rankings, best friends/gamers Carson McCalley and Jack Dodge depart in 4th place at 12:26 pm, with siblings Han and Holden leaving last at 12:58 pm. However, all 5 teams manage to get on the same flight as well as the same train by pure chance, thanks to the availability of tickets, resulting in them arriving at their wondrous destination at the exact same time. That’s how Alyssa and Josiah are the only team who have any sort of advantage in this leg since they still have their express pass, which they had secured by walking on hot coals in leg 8.

It is during their travel that Jack concedes he and Carson are completely locked in this round because they genuinely want to walk away with the $1 million grand prize at the very end. He then asserts that he was recently laid off, so securing this bag would not only give him some stability but also enable the duo to create the dream Dungeons and Dragons show they have always talked about. On the flip side, Han concedes that since her issue throughout the show has been perfectionism, she and her brother plan to adopt the strategy of “good enough is good enough” in this leg.

Navigation Issues and a Head-to-Head Roadblock Changes Things For Many Teams

Since the teams have been instructed to get in marked cars and drive themselves once again this time around, that’s what they do as soon as they step out of the train station in Strasbourg. They are to make their way to the Council of Europe for their next clue, but Brett and Mark struggle with navigation to such an extent that they actually end up driving around the wrong spots for a while. Han and Holden, though, manage to reach the required spot rather quickly, just to wonder if they are at the wrong entrance or gate number because they find themselves facing closed doors.

It is only when Ana and Jonathan arrive mere minutes later that they learn they are at the right place, but the doors will open 5 minutes later, at 8 am, as per the Council’s usual timings. Jack and Carson also show up within this time, unaware that the order in which the teams enter the building would play a significant role before they are able to get their next clue from a local employee. That’s because, one by one, each of them has to name the four specific countries they have actively raced in that are loyal members of the Council of Europe to actually be able to move forward.

Jack and Carson are the first to go through, followed by Han and Holden as well as Ana and Jonathan, after which their new clue leads them to Pont Couverts for a Roadblock head-to-head. Alyssa and Josiah arrive at the Council just as the first team is leaving, but then they also take up some time answering the question correctly, inadvertently enabling Brett and Mark to make up some distance. The latter then manages to find the right path and get the clue too, relieved to learn that the Roadblock will have them directly compete against another team, so they can possibly catch up for good.

Water Jousting and Different Cheeses Test the Competitiveness and Teamwork of all Contestants

When the teams arrive at Pont Couverts, they find out that they are to engage in the sport of water jousting, meaning that one member of each team will face off against another with a staff in hand. Their sole purpose is to then knock their opponent into the water because they can only move on if they win – the first team to arrive will face the second, and the loser will face the third, and so on. Therefore, the first match is between Han and Carson, only for the former to win rather quickly thanks to her balance and despite the latter being quite confident owing to his gaming background.

Carson and Jonathan battle it out next, with the former now being victorious. It is around their head-to-head that Brett and Mark arrive at the scene, thankful they have a chance to make up for lost time. The ensuing duel is between Jonathan and Josiah, the result of which declares that the final face-off will be Josiah vs. Mark, with the loser having a 10-minute penalty before they can get a move on. Josiah is the one who wins, driving him and Alyssa to subsequently rush towards La Cloche a Fromage, a locally renowned cheese shop, according to the Route Information they received.

They are surprised to learn that all 3 teams before them are still there because to get their next clue, they have to learn the names of 9 different chesses and then identify them at a nearby restaurant. Realizing this could be complex based on the simple fact that some of these teams were at least 30 to 40 minutes ahead of them, Alyssa suggests they use the Express Pass so as to directly go to the Detour. However, Josiah is not convinced since he believes they can succeed, leading to them giving it a try even upon noticing how other teams were getting frustrated and starting to bicker.

Patience Runs Thin as the Proverbial Clock Keeps on Ticking

Although Brett and Mark have the 10-minute time penalty, they actually arrive at La Cloche a Fromage to see that all remaining teams were still there, giving them a much-needed sense of relief. They then hone in on the task at hand, deciding like the others that while one of them will learn to identify 4 types of chesses, their partner would do 5 so as to be the most efficient in terms of both time and energy. Yet, Han and Holden are the first to get all 9 right on their 11th attempt, shortly followed by Carson and Jack on their 5th attempt, as well as Ana and Jonathan on their 7th attempt.

Jonathan praises his wife for her efforts at this point, yet as time passes and they learn that what’s waiting for them next is a Detour miles and miles away in Scherwiller, he begins to get frustrated. This starts while they are climbing the stairs of Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-Strasbourg, aka the Strasbourg Cathedral, to actually get the Detour information, and continues throughout the rest of their leg. Meanwhile, Alyssa and Josiah finally decide to use their Express Pass in an effort to maintain their spot in this experience, and Brett and Mark also move forward after getting the cheeses right during their 5th attempt.

Coming to the Detours, the teams are faced with two options – either Out to Dry or For the Birds. In the former, they are to do a bucket full of laundry by the river in the most old-fashioned and traditional of ways, whereas in the latter, they will have to build a nest for storks. While Han and Holden, Jack and Carson, as well as Ana and Jack, all decide to wash clothes, the remaining two teams choose to build a nest as they believe it would be relatively easier for them to do. Things then get quite interesting as the gamers arrive at their spot in Scherwiller first, followed by Mark and Brett as well as Alyssa and Josiah, all the while Ana and Jonathan struggle to not only navigate but also communicate with one another due to their frustrations.

An Unexpected Elimination Leaves Us Intrigued and Excited for What is Next

With Jack being the one to drive and Carson being the navigator, the duo manages to not have any directional issues in this leg, leading the latter to state that maybe he should manage his control issues better. Hence, they are the first to arrive at their Detour stop, following which they quickly watch the demonstration and get to work while elder local women gossip around them. Some might have found the latter aspect rather troublesome, but the friends admittedly loved it as it made them feel at ease, as if they weren’t cleaning stained clothes under the pressure of a competition but doing a daily chore with a friend.

That’s how they are also able to finish their task rather quickly – they are getting the clothes checked when Han and Holden arrive, and Ana and Jonathan come after they have already left for the Pit Stop. Meanwhile, Brett and Mark are slowly yet steadily making progress in their nest, just for Alyssa and Josiah to soon arrive and sail through it by focusing on doing it just right, instead of making it pretty. The former duo then pick up the pace too, but it takes both teams several attempts to get the approval they need since they hadn’t tied their work to the baseboard. The Vegas couple also missed changing the direction of the wires to the outside.

Therefore, by the time Brett and Mark are done, Alyssa and Josiah have already gotten the directions to the Pit Stop – Table D’Orientation, which leads them to decide that they will just blindly follow the other couple in their car. By this time, though, Jack and Carson have already made it to host Phil Keoghan, securing first position as well as a 5-night trip to Helsinki, Finland, powered by Expedia. Then, Ana and Jonathan get done with their task too, only for Han and Holden to rewash some pieces as their strategy of “good enough being good enough” failed. In the end, while Alyssa and Josiah manage to secure second place, Ana and Jonathan come third, followed by Han and Holden. Because they had gotten lost, Brett and Mark are the last to arrive at the Pit Stop, resulting in their elimination. Yet, they maintain that they don’t regret a single thing as they got to experience the world together, which has undoubtedly only strengthened their love.