The Amazing Race Season 37 Episode 8 Recap: We’re Letting Race Brain Win

While the format of CBS’ ‘The Amazing Race’ is such that a team bids goodbye at the end of every leg or episode, the elimination of brothers Nick and Mike Fiorito in season 37 episode 7 was hard. That’s because they weren’t even able to complete their Detour following an unexpected U-Turn despite a team running hours behind, resulting in host Phil Keoghan coming to them to deliver the news. Therefore, of course, episode 8, aptly titled ‘We’re Letting Race Brain Win,’ picks up right from where the previous one left off and opens the door to yet another adventurous day in Bulgaria.

The Leads in Leg 8 Pave the Way for Some Undeniable Advantages

Since married nurse anesthetists Alyssa and Josiah Borden concluded the 7th leg of this experience in first place, they are the first to depart for the 8th, bright and early in the morning, at 7:30 am. Their first clue lets them know that they can either go to Lake Ariana in Sofia, Bulgaria, for their next clue or try their hand at securing the Express Pass before continuing on with the entire journey. The couple actually chooses to go for the latter as they know they have a lead of around an hour, and that’s precisely the reason no other team even attempts it — after all, there is just one Pass up for grabs.

Married Vegas performers Brett Hamby and Mark Romain are the next to depart, shortly followed by parents of two Ana and Jonathan Towns, as well as siblings Han and Holden Nguyen. As they self-drive from the small town of Elin Pelin to Sofia, they know time is of the essence if they want to make a change in their standing, but things don’t work out as expected for all of them. Simultaneously, Alyssa and Josiah arrive at the spot where they can earn the Pass, only to find out that their challenge to do so is to walk on hot coals that can heat up to a 1000° Fahrenheit, which terrifies the latter.

Alyssa admittedly doesn’t mind the heat too much, but Josiah hates it to such an extent that he doesn’t even eat hot food or indulge in hot beverages; his hot chocolate is also lukewarm at best. Nevertheless, knowing what a significant advantage it is to have an Express Pass, especially at this stage when more than half the teams have already been eliminated, they decide to go for it. Alyssa walks on them first with a poker face so as not to scare her husband further, and he quickly follows because he knows what winning could do for them, and that is much more important than a bit of pain.

A Dip in the Lake and a Cipher Problem Changes Everything

While Alyssa and Josiah celebrate earning the Express Pass, Brett and Mark arrive at Lake Ariana, where their next clue lets them know that they have to participate in the Jordan Day Festival. Here, an orthodox priest will bless them before throwing a cross into the water, filled with a group of men singing and dancing as a part of the celebration, and they have to retrieve it for their next clue. As the performers complete this test, it turns out that Melinda and Erika missed their turn to enter Sofia as they faced navigation issues, meaning they would have to circle back and lose a lot of time.

This is also around when best friends and gamers Carson McCalley and Jack Dodge finally depart after having placed last in the seventh leg – they are hours behind the first team, yet they are optimistic. The friends admit that their optimism may possibly be delusional, yet they aren’t ready to back down because they wholeheartedly believe anything can happen in this competition. Then, surprisingly, it is Alyssa and Josiah who reach Lake Ariana in search of the next clue, which tells them to go to the Russian Monument Square next; however, they can’t drive or hail a taxi for the rest of the leg. From there, they are led to the St. Kliment Ohridski Central Library.

Then comes Ana and Jonathan, shortly followed by Han and Holden as well as Melinda and Erika, while Brett and Mark are already far ahead at the library, solving a cipher for the next clue. It takes them some time to realize that the key to solving this is turning the equipment they have since that’s where the English translation is, but once they do, they fly out of there. However, Alyssa and Josiah can’t figure it out, that is, until Ana and Jonathan arrive, understand the issue, solve the cipher, earn the next clue, and then decide to help them out of good faith. This switches their standing for a short while.

A Misread of a Clue and Short-term Alliances Set the Tone for the End of Leg 8

After three teams have already moved on, Han and Holden arrive at the library, shortly followed by Melinda and Erika, where they decide to team up to quickly solve this strange cipher. However, the latter team did not realize that Erika had read a part of the previous clue wrong – she missed the “not” in the sentence that instructed them about their mode of transport. In other words, the mother-daughter duo had essentially come to the conclusion that they are to travel solely by taxis for the rest of this leg, yet since they had no idea they had made a significant mistake, they continued on as normal.

While they do so, Carson and Jack not only manage to complete the first task but also quickly rush to the library, where their experience in games helps them find the key almost immediately. Holden actually sees them turn over the cipher plate and tells his sister, yet they decide not to share it with Melinda and Erika; instead, they find an opening and form an alliance with the friends. It is only after both these teams earn the next clue that the siblings help out the mother-daughter duo despite Carson and Jack advising them not to, and then, together, they make their way to the Museum of Socialist Art Sculpture Garden.

The teams go their own way at one point as they can’t figure out their destination, unaware that Brett and Mark have already moved on to their next stop, which is the Central Military Club. That’s where they get the Roadblock, which explains that they have to learn a traditional Bulgarian dance and then perform it with a group of professionals to get an expert’s approval. Since the aforementioned team comprises performers from Las Vegas, Mark decides to go for it, and he almost immediately has it in the bag – just a few minutes of practice with an instructor, and he gives his first attempt, which is near perfect.

At the End of Leg 8, Only 5 Teams Move Forward

As Brett and Mark open the next clue, they are pleased to learn their next destination is the Pit Stop – the renowned St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral – so as instructed, they make their way on foot. Therefore, they are the first to arrive, securing not only a significant lead in the next leg but also $7,500 each, a result that they are extremely pleased about since the competition is getting so close now. Simultaneously, Josiah and Ana manage to secure the final clue for their teams in quick succession after 3 attempts of the performance each, so their race to the pit stop is almost neck and neck until the very end.

Alyssa and Josiah arrive at the Cathedral before Ana and Jonathan, but they do so within moments of one another, so Phil Keoghan breaks the news to them together, revealing they are all on the figurative podium. Then, despite everything, it is the self-proclaimed “bad dancer” Jack who earns the next clue and rushes to the pit stop with Carson, marking their leg as a comeback for the books, considering they were so far behind at one point. In 5th place are Han and Holden, with the latter’s second attempt being the one that earned them the clue, all the while Melinda was still practicing for it. Thus, with Melinda and Erika being the last to reach the pit stop, along with their not following all the instructions properly, they are eliminated. Yet, neither of them regrets this experience one bit, as it only brought them closer together.