The Amazing Race Season 37 Episode 3 Recap: Chaotic, Crazy, That’s What We Are Used To

With the elimination of father-daughter duo Earnest and Bridget Cato at the end of CBS’ ‘The Amazing Race’ season 37 episode 2, the stakes got much higher, considering only 11 teams are left behind. So, in episode 3, aptly titled ‘Chaotic, Crazy, That’s What We Are Used To,’ we get a lot more competitiveness, emotional investments, and sheer determination from the remaining teams. The introduction of both the renowned Express Pass and a brand-new concept called the Driver’s Seat made the competition even more interesting.

The Results of Leg 2 Significantly Determined The Start of Leg 3 For All Teams

Since married couple Jonathan and Ana Towns were the ones to complete leg 2, and that too on their 7th wedding anniversary, they are the first to depart for leg 3. They are followed by Lori and Scott Thompson, married parents of eight sons, who secure the first bullet train from Shin-Ōsaka Station to Kyoto, Japan. Their very first clue card had asked them to travel there for a brand new adventure, with a temple being their core destination, where they would get a new card. So, with married nurses Alyssa and Josiah Borden, as well as best friends Carson McCalley and Jack Dodge, being the third and fourth teams to depart, they end up securing a place on the second train.

Father-son duo Jeff “Pops” and Jeff Jr. Bailey had secured fifth place in the previous leg, so they are in 5th place here too, resulting in them managing to get the second train. Dating nurses Courtney Ramsey and Jasmin Carey, as well as mother-daughter duo Melinda and Erika Papadeas, get the fourth train, with all remaining teams except Han and Holden Nguyen getting on train 5. This includes Married Vegas Performers Brett Hamby and Mark Romain, brothers from Brooklyn Nick and Mike Fiorito, and friends Bernie Gutierrez and Carrigain Scadden. Brother-sister duo Han and Holden were actually the second last team at the end of leg 2, so they departed last for the beginning of leg 3.

The Roadblock Changes The Entire Game in a Way No One Expected

With Jonathan and Ana and Lori and Scott being the first teams to make it to Kyoto, they are also the first to get to their clue, which tells them to embrace the sacred practice of dipping magical paper into water to find out where they need to go next. It leads them to Shiramine Jingu Shrine, where they get their Roadblock Clue of having to participate in the game of Kemari. They have to make five consecutive successful passes of a ball to expert players without using their hands in any way, shape, or form. If one team member does it, they can advance, but there is also an Express Pass up for grabs. It will enable a team to skip a Detour at any point in the game, but only one is available, and both team members have to complete the Kemari Roadblock for it.

Carson and Jack actually catch up with the first two teams quite quickly thanks to their quick thinking of not letting their taxi go at the temple, so they are in the running for it too. Jonathan and Ana are determined to grab it for future use, but Lori and Scott don’t even attempt it since they are more focused on getting ahead in this leg. Carson and Jack actually follow the former team’s lead, but by the time Jack gets the hang of the game after Carson has already done it, both Jonathan and Ana have completed the Roadblock. It takes Ana some time, but she powers through and succeeds.

They then make their way to the Yasaka Koshin-Do Temple for their next clue, while the other teams only just begin arriving at the shrine to complete the Roadblock. Alyssa and Josiah manage to finish what is asked of them rather quickly despite the latter participating in it, even though Alyssa played sports all throughout college. Similarly, even Jeff, Erika, Mike, Mark, and Holden ace the step, but Bernie and Carrigain and Courtney and Jasmin face trouble. Neither Carrigan nor Courtney are able to make successful passes despite several attempts, so it consumes a lot of their time. In fact, even after Carrigan manages to make the five passes, it takes Courtney more time, which leaves them way behind.

Executing the Detours Tested Everyone’s Patience and Teamwork

While Carrigan concedes on the way to Yasaka Koshin-Do Temple that the only reason she agreed to be a part of ‘The Amazing Race’ is to represent people like her, people of mixed races who never felt like they fit in anywhere, an alliance is revealed. It turns out Pops and Jeff as well as Melinda and Erika have decided to stick together through the challenges and help one another because they relate to each other at an emotional level. Per Erika, while she and Jeff are quite similar, their parental teammates are also like two peas in a pod, so it makes sense for them to form an alliance.

It is also at the temple that the teams learn they now have a Detour ahead of them – they have to choose between “Fold it” or “Flip it” at the Kyoto Budo Center. In ‘Fold it,’ teams must create a giant origami crane, whereas in ‘Flip it,’ they must transform into ninjas and throw spikes, stars, and darts at targets. Lori and Scott, Carlos and Jack, and Jonathan and Ana all choose to Flip it at first upon realizing how exciting it sounds, but one after the other, they all change their minds as the execution of the spike throwing, in particular, is just too difficult. Little did they know Alyssa and Josiah would shift after their 24th attempt too, followed by Mike and Nick after their 31st attempt.

It was around this point that Courtney and Jasmin finally complete the Roadblock and rush to do the Detour, realizing that while they are the last to arrive at Budo Center, there are still a few teams remaining. Courtney is tired because of the heat and the energy exerted, but she remains determined because she knows she can face any hardship that comes her way, especially after losing her mother to brain cancer a few years prior. Bernie and Carrigan are at the Flip it range when they arrive, but they later decide to switch too. It is then that all hell breaks loose in the origami area as the four remaining teams find themselves struggling with the steps, with Han and Holden also squabbling like teenagers.

The Pit Stop Reveals a Brand New Concept, Getting Us Excited For All Future Legs

Lori and Scott are actually the first team to get the approval of experts after finishing their giant crane, but Carson and Jack as well as Jonathan and Ana are not far behind them. Nevertheless, as they all race to the pit stop, the Konkai Komyo-ji Temple, they all arrive in the order they left Budo Center, meaning Lori and Scott proudly secure first place. Carson and Jack are mere moments behind them, but it is the married couple that gets the $5,000 prize for their hard work, just for them to then be told they would soon encounter a brand new concept by the name of Driver’s Seat. The team that secures this card – there can only be one – will get the advantage of determining how much work the other teams have to do to reach their next pit stop. This is told to every team as they make it to this leg’s finish line.

Jonathan and Ana are the third team to do so, followed by Melinda and Erika in fourth place, Brett and Mark in fifth place, Pop and Jeff in sixth place, and Alyssa and Josiah in seventh place. Simultaneously, at the center, Mike and Nick, Han and Holden, Bernie and Carrigan, as well as Courtney and Jasmin are struggling, with the former two teams not even being able to remember all the steps. On the flip side, Bernie and Carrigan have their crane’s head and tail flipped, whereas Courtney and Jasmin are taking their strategy of slow and steady so seriously that it is costing them a lot of much-needed time and energy.

In the end, Mike and Nick manage to hone in on what needs to be done and suddenly, immediately succeed, only to then help out Han and Holden with a significant folding mistake they made. Therefore, they come in eighth and ninth place, respectively, with the latter making it clear the brothers know how much they appreciate their help when they could have just walked away. Then, it is Bernie and Carrigan who realize their errors, correct them, and get the approval from the master before making it to the pit stop, making them the tenth and final team to cross through. Courtney and Jasmin soon make it to the destination too, but they are eliminated owing to their time struggles. Nevertheless, with love for each other and pride for all that they accomplished, they walk away with their heads held high.