The Amazing Race Season 37 Episode 11 Recap: My Knight in Shining Armor

While the elimination of married Vegas performers Brett Hamby and Mark Romain at the end of leg 10 on CBS’ ‘The Amazing Race’ season 37, the competition reaches an all-time high. That’s because just the final 4 teams are now left on this once-in-a-lifetime adventure, fighting for their chance to make it to the final 3 and then maybe walk away with the $1 million grand prize. Each team is thus ready to give the penultimate leg their all in episode 11, aptly titled ‘My Knight in Shining Armor,’ but while some breeze through the challenges of the day, others struggle to even find their footing.

The Journey From France to Portugal Proves to be an Equalizer

Since best friends Carson McCalley and Jack Dodge were the team to secure first place at the end of the previous leg, they have the advantage of being the first team to depart at 1:52 am. Their first clue actually leads them to the Voyages Mosaic travel agency in Strasbourg, France itself, where they are to book their flights to their next international destination – Porto, Portugal. They are followed by married nurses Alyssa and Josiah Borden, who depart at 2:07 am, married parents of 2 Ana and Jonathan Towns at 2:17 am, and finally siblings Han and Holden Nguyen at 2:25 am.

It is only after Han and Holden’s booking is finalized that we learn that all teams managed to get on the same flight – the 11:20 am arrival – meaning all leads are essentially null and void. However, that’s what makes this next aspect of leg 11 so interesting because it is a brand new twist to the already complex self-driving as well as navigation element: the vehicle roulette. On a first-come first-serve basis, the teams have to pick a car key from the 5 available to them, which will determine if they get an automatic or a manual vehicle, as they can not exchange once it has been chosen.

Ultimately, while Carson and Jack get lucky with an automatic, the remaining three teams land a stick-shift; though, it isn’t actually a problem since they all had experience with gears. However, what proves to be an issue for almost all of them is the navigation because their next clue instructed them to make their way to the faraway Granjão neighborhood in Vila Marim. Jonathan and Ana, as well as Han and Holden, can’t figure out the way even with the map provided to them, that is, until they ultimately decide, at different stages, that it would be best if they ask for directions from a local.

The Pressure of Falling Behind Got to One Team in the Worst of Ways

While Carson and Jack manage to make it to their specified destination rather quickly, the other teams can’t figure out the right path despite trying several different routes in different ways. It is actually Holden’s unpanicked resolve that helps keep his team on track as he thinks of asking for directions as soon as he realizes his navigation methods aren’t working with his sister. Then, Alyssa and Josiah also manage to find a way to Granjão by openly communicating with one another about what needs to be done, which is exactly the opposite of Ana and Jonathan’s experience.

The frustration of losing time with each wrong turn, falling behind the other teams, and ultimately possibly getting eliminated gets to Jonathan, so he essentially shuts down and gets snippy. Even when his wife tries to talk to him or asks him for clear directions, he doesn’t give them to her until he finally has enough and decides to switch places with her so that he is driving. In the end, though, the duo does end up asking for directions and finds their way to Granjão, but by this point, the other three teams had already completed the required task and moved on to the next.

Their Route Information at this point had instructed them to row to the other side of the lake before finding two identical empty barrels of wine and rolling them to a nearby store for the next clue. Since they had arrived first, Carson and Jack finished first too, quickly followed by Han and Holden, as well as Alyssa and Josiah. Alyssa admittedly struggled with how heavy the barrel was, but her husband helped, and it was evident that although the pressure was getting to them too, they were determined to stick by one another through thick and thin.

The Roadblock Was Exciting in a Way No Team Had Expected

Once the teams are done rolling the barrels, they receive their next clue, which leads them directly to the renowned Castle of Santa Maria da Feira. There, they find out that their next challenge is a Roadblock, which consists of one team member dressing up as a medieval soldier before firing a bow and arrow at three moving targets. Only when they successfully hit the bull’s eye on all three in one go will they be able to move on, but they do get 7 arrows per attempt. This is admittedly a dream come true for Carson and Jack, as they are massive fans of things like this.

However, it is Carson who ends up winning the rock-paper-scissors battle against Jack, which leads him to be the one to participate in this Roadblock. While he does so, Alyssa and Josiah, as well as Han and Holden, also arrive, so they get in line to be dressed up and compete too. From the former team, Alyssa becomes the archer, whereas Han becomes the marksman from the latter. They do finish in this order itself, at the end of which, each shooter is “knighted” before being given the next clue. Only when they have all left do Jonathan and Ana arrive, and then Jonathan completes the Roadblock.

Unexpected Delays Lead to Another Team Falling Behind

As the Roadblock gets completed, the teams learn that they now have to make their way to the Campanhã train station, from where they have to get on a train to the São Bento Porto Train Station. There, they have to find a man selling individual mosaic tiles to get their next clue – the significance is that Porto is known for its beautiful mosaics across the city. While Carson and Jack as well as Han and Holden manage to get to the same train, Alyssa and Josiah fall behind. They actually arrive at the station not far behind the other two, but they couldn’t find parking and it led them to drive around for a while

By the time the married nurses actually get their tickets, the first train is long gone. So, they have no choice but to wait for the next one, only for it to run so late that Jonathan and Ana manage to catch up to them at the station. However, instead of being delighted that they still have a chance to make up time, the couple continues fighting and letting out their frustrations on each other. It isn’t until they arrive at their next destination, the ODE Porto Wine House, that they realize they still have a chance.

It is at Ode Porto Wine House that all teams have to solve an 81-tile mosaic puzzle and then tile it on the wall so as to receive their next clue. Carson and Jack unsurprisingly sail through this challenge, leading them right to host Phil Keoghan at the pit stop – across the Luis Bridge, near the Douro River. They again secure first position, but more importantly, they secure a spot in the finale and business class tickets back to the US. They are followed by Han and Holden not long after, so the battle for the final spot in the finale is between the two married couples. Honestly, Ana and Jonathan’s speed is better than Alyssa and Josiah, but Jonathan soon mistakenly drops a tile on the floor shattering it. So, whether they will be able to move on or if Alyssa and Josiah will previal is still up in the air.