The Amazing Race Season 37 Episode 6 Recap: It Smells Like the Desert

With married parents of 8 sons Lori and Scott Thompson having been eliminated at the end of the fifth leg of CBS’ ‘The Amazing Race’ season 37, the competition is nearing its peak. After all, after having witnessed the ups and downs of all the teams across three different countries until now, viewers are much more invested in every aspect of their adventure and motivations. Therefore, the fact that episode 6, ‘It Smells Like the Desert,’ brings forth an almost entirely positive experience not only excites them but also further draws them in for what’s to come later on.

The Beginning of Leg 6 Equalizes All Remaining 8 Teams

Married Vegas performers Brett Hamby and Mark Romain are the first to depart for the sixth leg of this experience of a lifetime, thanks to their securing first place in the previous one. However, they soon realize they won’t have a lead for long because their first step is to book tickets from Bali, Indonesia, to Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, but the first flight isn’t for hours later. In fact, by the time all teams reach the International Airport, not even the check-in counters are open, so they have nothing left to do but sit, chat, and process their journey up until now.

Best friends Carson McCalley and Jack Dodge also take this opportunity to extend an olive branch to married couple Ana and Jonathan Towns, whom they voted for in the double U-Turn. The truth is they had built a friendship over time, so the duo’s vote genuinely stung the couple even when they knew they would be on the chopping block owing to how well they had been doing. The gamers tried to explain that they went with a safe option since everyone expected the Towns to be voted anyway, but they made it clear that while they understood, they needed time to cool off.

Meanwhile, Jeff Bailey also opened up about his past, sharing that he holds his teammate and Pops in such high regard because the latter is the reason he is the kind, stable, family man he is today. He grew up in one of the most unsafe cities in the world, St. Louis, Missouri, but since his father always ensured to keep him by his side, he didn’t fall through the cracks and end up on the wrong path. The lumberjack made it clear he would forever be grateful to his Pops before adding that their sharing this adventure was just another milestone in their extremely close relationship.

Dubai Opens Up Opportunities For All Teams to Prove Their Mettle

As soon as the 8 teams land in Dubai, they are given instructions to make their way to the Platinum Heritage Desert Gate, where they will get their departure times for the next morning. It turns out this is essentially on a first-come first-serve basis, as each team is required to select a set of cups with a time stamp — four sets read 5:10, whereas the other four read 5:20. Carson and Jack, Ana and Johnathan, siblings Han and Holden Nguyen, as well as married couple anesthetists Alyssa and Josiah manage to secure the 5:10 cups. Thus, the 5:20 goes to Brett and Mark, Jeff and Pops (Jeff Bailey Sr.), mother-daughter duo Melinda and Erika Papadeas, as well as brothers Nick and Mike Fiorito.

In the morning, they leave in groups at their scheduled time to reach the location of their next clue in the desert, where they learn that while one-half of the teams will be skydiving, the other will wait for them in a field at Palm Jumeirah Island. From the first group, Jack, Holden, Alyssa, and Ana decide to jump, whereas, from the second, the jumpers are Brett, Nick, Pops, and Melinda – this is the order in which they jump, too. It also turns out skydiving has actually always been on Pops’ bucket list, alongside bungee jumping, considering he loves heights as well as the adrenaline rush.

Later on, while the divers are getting ready to freefall from the plane, we see Josiah literally in tears over worry about his wife despite knowing deep in his heart she’ll be fine, which just goes to show how pure and deep their love is. As the team members land, they are given their next clue, which tells them a Fast Forward is up for grabs and the first duo to find an orange luxury car outside and sit in it can try to retrieve it. Since Carson and Jack are the first full team on the ground, they manage to grab this opportunity without any issues, yet it’s imperative to note that Han and Holden were seconds behind them. Nevertheless, they don’t lose hope or their speed, enabling them to follow the next set of instructions within seconds and head to the Atlantis the Royal, where they are to face their first Roadblock of this leg.

The First Roadblock Enabled Teamwork While Also Testing Patience

As the teams arrive at Atlantis, they learn that their Roadblock is to decorate the pastries that are served alongside afternoon tea before getting it checked by none other than Executive Chef Christophe Devoille. Alyssa and Josiah are actually the first to arrive at this luxury resort, followed by Ana and Johnathan, Han and Holden, Brett and Mark, Pops and Jeff, Nick and Mike, and finally, Melinda and Erika. Though, by the time the last four teams arrive, the initial three are already quite far ahead in the process, yet instead of panicking, they all work slowly and steadily to get the job done.

In fact, Melinda and Erika assert that it is better for them to chase than be chased. Moreover, Nick and Mike concede that whenever they previously did a task requiring attention to detail, they hurried it and always had to redo/retry, so this time, they are determined to go slow but get it right in one go. While all this is happening, Carson and Jack reach Deep Dive Dubai, where they are to scuba dive in the world’s deepest pool, built as a sunken city, to actually secure the Fast Forward. It takes them some time, but they manage to find it, all the while having the time of their lives in the water in every way. Jack even admits that if they weren’t in the race, he would have stayed there for hours and hours.

In the meantime, Alyssa and Josiah complete the Roadblock on their second check, yet right on their heels are Ana and Johnathan, Han and Holden, as well as Brett and Mark, respectively. Melinda and Erika are the next to finish, and then there is Mike and Nick. Unfortunately, Pops and Jeff have to redo their long cake because the latter mistakenly ends up knocking some of its frosting down while actually taking it to be checked by the chef. They also take some time to realize they are missing edible flowers on one of their small muffins. Nevertheless, they do what needs to be done and then follow their next clue to the Burj Al Arab Public Beach for yet another Roadblock – an eSurfboard challenge.

The Results of the Second Roadblock Played a Role in the Elimination

As soon as the teams arrive at this beautiful beach in Dubai, they know this challenge will be quite athletic, considering the clue provided to them – “Who’s ready to ride a wave?” So, it is Josiah, Jonathan, Han, Mark, Erika, Mike, and Jeff who go into the water, but while most of them are still training or just on their way to the beach, Carson and Jack arrive at the pit stop. As soon as they see host Phil Keoghan at the Museum of the Future, they are giddy with excitement over how incredible their day had gone, just for it to then get even better. That’s because they learn that their prize for securing first place in this sixth leg is an incredible 7-night cruise across Alaska, planned and sponsored by Expedia.

Coming back to the beach, despite the fact Han is the third to get into the water, her actual surfboarding experience helps a lot, and she manages to crush this Roadblock within minutes. Josiah is next, even though he initially has a lot of trouble just getting the hang of how to balance himself on the board, just like those who follow him in rather quick succession – Mark, Erika, and Johnathan. Jeff and Mike finish the challenge a few minutes later mere moments apart, so they subsequently literally begin racing to secure last place – they are instructed to go to the Mall of Emirates Metro Station, from where they have to take a train to the Emirates Towers before walking to the Museum of the Future.

While the remaining teams arrive in almost the exact order they completed the second Roadblock, it is literally a neck-and-neck race for Jeff and Pops as well as Mike and Nick because they even end up on the same train. The former team did have a chance to get on the one prior, but because they were unsure where they had to go, they didn’t step into it for fear of going in the wrong direction. In the end, the latter’s speed helps them win, but neither Jeff nor Pops regrets any aspect of their experience as it only brought them closer together. In fact, Jeff even admitted that this was arguably the best time of his life, especially as he got to see the man he always called Superman actually fly while skydiving.