The season’s eighth/ninth episodes and series’ first-ever MEGALEG begins off the back of last week’s double-header, which saw dating couple Leo & Alana (who are now married, congratulations you two) eliminated in Almaty.
Last leg leaders Will & James get things kicked off.
ROUTE INFO: Fly to Hyderabad, India
James mentions that he and Will still have their 20-minute Yield at their disposal, as they “nudged” the Blonde Bandits to use theirs last episode to slow down Leo & Alana during Yurt-gate. As this MEGALEG plays out, it will be interesting to see if teams are as close as 20-minutes from one another, given the leg length; this will surely only add more timely variables and reduce the chances of a tight race this leg. Regardless, I respect that Will & James are playing on the offensive at all times, never relinquishing nor taking their foot off the pedal (or the clutch in some instances).
On their way to the airport (all teams on the same flight), teams weigh in with their thoughts on all things from the alliance, the MEGALEG, and each other. Eswar & Aparna tell us that they were born in India, having moved to America at an early age and often visited India during their youth. Aparna mentions that Hyderabad is the tech-capital of the country, so maybe, FINALLY, the brother/sister pairing will be able to capitalise on their engineering background!
All teams touch down in Hyderabad, and right on cue, it’s a mad scramble for taxis at the airport, seeing Eswar & Aparna arrive at clue box in first place.
ROUTE INFO: Put to the Test
Teams must flag down three auto-rickshaws and complete a smog test to gain approval from a Pollution Technician to receive their next clue… One of these teams is getting run over.
Mimicking the airport taxi rank shenanigans, teams are fighting over rickshaws in the crowded streets, to the point of James asking a man if HE is indeed a rickshaw (first name Rick, last name Shaw). Eswar & Aparna, Will & James, and DeAngelo & Gary jump out to an early lead as they can flag down at least ONE rickshaw.
Eswar & Aparna are the first of the six teams to complete the task and receive their next clue.
DETOUR: Food App OR Number Trap
In Food App, teams must partner up with a phone operator at Swiggy, the city’s top food delivery app, to help deliver orders to three customers. Once delivered, the teams will receive their next clue.
In Number Trap, teams must use motor sensor technology to grab a sequence of binary numbers to crack a code, revealing their next clue.
Without hesitation, Eswar & Aparna leap at the chance to partake in Number Trap and put their coding acumen to the test.
One by one, teams compete the Mr. Rick Shaw task, only to see the Blonde Bandits and surprisingly Riley & Maddison at the back of the pack, a rare spot for the brothers to be in. Hung & Chee are stuck in Hyderabad’s traffic, seeing a giddy Eswar & Aparna, Gary & DeAngelo, and Will & James all arrive at Number Trap, looking to widen their lead. Even before seeing anyone attempt Food App, it seems like an absolute no-brainer to go for Number Trap, far less chaotic, far few variables.
Both teams at the back complete the rickshaw task and make their way to the Detour. The Beard Bros reveal that DeAngelo & Gary tried to prevent the brothers from gathering two rickshaws at once, signalling a lack of trust and cohesion within the alliance, a further implying of Hung’s assessment of the NFLers’ apparent withholding nature.
Back at Number Trap, it’s apparently advantageous to being a gamer over being an engineer, as DeAngelo & Gary are the first team to complete the Detour. Gary reveals that not only is he an art lover, he is also an avid gamer, with his gaming skills powering the duo through this task into first.
Comedic Moment of the Night Nominee:
DeAngelo: “Who knew that, you know, a bunch of zeros and ones get you your next clue?”
Gary: “Anybody that does programming.”
DeAngelo: “Oh, oh, okay.”
It’s a familiar fate for Kaylynn & Hayley, as once again, they are lost mid-taxi ride to the Detour, further distancing themselves from the other teams at the back and relying on the power of the crossed finger to guide them towards the Detour.
Riley & Maddison arrive at Number Trap and make quick work of the “gaming” portion to pass Hung & Chee, and to pull even with the NFLers, Eswar & Aparna, and Will & James in the coding part of the challenge. Will & James are the first to crack the code and receive their next clue.
ROUTE INFO: Travel by Taxi to the Qutb Shahi Tombs
Warning: Yield ahead.
James insists that it may be wise to Yield Kaylynn & Hayley at this point of the Race as the sisters are Yield-less, are at the back of the pack, and are not a part of the alliance. Will & James follow through with James’ plan and indeed Yield the Blonde Bandits, accompanied by a great line by James: “We’re trying to make our own luck in this race, and they’ve had the best.”
ROAD BLOCK: Who’s Ready to Flip their Lids?
Teams will use a tablet to travel through a digital world and look for three distinctive turbans out of eighteen possibilities, then travelling to the floor above; they must find a person wearing the matching turban and place them in the same column as the virtual person was located directly below them.
James opts in for this Road Block, while the NFLers and the Engineers complete the Detour, leaving the Bearded Bros behind unscrambling their zeroes and ones, and Hung & Chee ditching and switching to Food App. DeAngelo & Gary, along with Eswar & Aparna, arrive at the Road Block and look to close the gap between leg leaders Will & James. Will Gary’s gaming ways come to the rescue again in this virtual world?
Riley & Maddison crack their code, while Hung & Chee begin on Food App as Kaylynn & Hayley finally arrive, looking to gain ground on the Detour-derailed Hung & Chee. The sisters’ taxi navigation headaches have seemed to carry over into their directions-via-phone-operator efforts as they are once again plagued by miscommunication and misguidance.
Gary and Riley are in the lead at the Road Block, with Gary trying to sneak a peek at Riley’s findings, much to the chagrin of the Bearded Bro, only for Riley to do the same thing to Eswar essentially.
Hung & Chee make their third and final delivery to a man working out in a gym; never in my two-lifetime gym visits have I seen someone order food to their lat pulldown machine; what an absolute flex.
Riley is the first of the Road Blocked teams to complete the task, followed closely behind by Gary, who was anything BUT withholding towards James as he and Eswar aided James’ Road Block efforts.
ROUTE INFO: Travel by Auto Rickshaw to Charminar, where teams will receive their next clue.
James finally masters the virtual and real-world and completes the Detour, finding him and Will in third place, leaving Eswar in fourth, as Chee begins the task for him and Hung. The sisters complete their Detour and make their way to the Road Block, where to add insult to injury, they find out that have been yielded. As the sisters sit through their “time out,” Chee completes the Road Block at a rapid pace, leaving Eswar in his dust.
Just as their hourglasses disperses its last grains of sand, the sisters sprint towards the Road Block, with Eswar finally finishing the task, with both pairs of siblings hoping that the elongated leg will allow them to make up some time on the teams in front.
The alliance of five make their separate ways to Charminar, with Will highlighting that there’s an alliance and then there’s an alliance alliance between him & James, Hung & Chee, and the Beard Bros, with hopes of breaking free of the Engineers and NFLers. Alliance Alliance members Riley & Maddison are the first to arrive at the clue box.
DETOUR: This OR THAT
In This, teams must push a cart of bangles to a nearby store and find matching bangle pairings to that of the bride in the shop to receive their next clue.
The Beard Bros opt for This, along with the NFLers, as both teams begin their Detours. Will & James, Hung & Chee, and Eswar & Aparna all arrive at the clue box, with only Eswar & Aparna choosing That.
Kaylynn completes the Detour, with hopes of vaulting herself and Hayley past sixth place, as both the Beard Bros and NFLers are in a tight battle for first, seeing Riley & Maddison pip them to the post and receive their next clue.
ROUTE INFO: Proceed to Taj Falaknuma Palace
Travel by auto-rickshaw to Taj Falaknuma Palace and search the grounds to find your next clue. Warning: this will be your last opportunity to use your Yield.
Meanwhile, Hung & Chee are up to their old tricks and decide to swap Detours (not even having started This), as Eswar & Aparna arrive at That.
In That, teams must prepare a set of denture moulds and fit them into a customer’s mouth, with the catch being only one team at a time can partake in the task, which finds Hung & Chee waiting behind Eswar & Aparna.
Riley & Maddison arrive at Falaknuma Palace and receive their next clue.
ROUTE INFO: Getting the Royal Treatment
After donning traditional sherwani outfits, teams will travel with socialites via horse and carriage.
The brothers breeze through their horse and carriage ride and decide to Yield Kaylynn & Hayley; ruthless!
ROAD BLOCK: Who Wants to set things Straight?
The task requires one team member to prepare a table for a royal dinner by choosing a unique place-setting inspired by Falaknuma Palace’s artwork and precisely set it up ten identical times.
Meanwhile, amidst the mayhem of the streets near Charminar, Kaylynn & Hayley arrive, struggling to locate the clue box, as the NFLers and Will & James complete This.
At That, an unphased Hung explains that being a parent has trained her for this very task.
Comedy Moment of the Night: “If the patient needed a colonoscopy, I’d do it too.” – Hung.
Eswar & Aparna and Hung & Chee are the next duos to complete the Detour, as Kaylynn & Hayley finally find the clue box, opting for That.
At the Road Block, more teams arrive, seeing Riley losing his lead over Gary and James. Now RILEY is the one withholding information from Gary, as he decides only to assist James and exclude the NFLer from crucial details regarding the table setting.
As James speaks to camera, he states he’s discovered there’s a ruler that he believes to have gone unnoticed by the others. He intends to withhold the ruler breakthrough from the others until literally a second later, Riley shouts over to James, informing the latter of the ruler rules. Riley’s work has been looked over and negated twice by the judge as Aparna and Hung enter the hall.
Kaylynn & Hayley complete That, with Kaylynn insisting that she will $%&!ing slaughter any team who dared Yield them; charming. The teams continue to prepare their tables as the judge finally awards Riley a pass.
ROUTE INFO: Proceed to Pit Stop
Teams must find Phil at the South East Garden of the Palace. The last team to arrive WILL be eliminated.
- Team Number 1: Riley & Maddison
James is given the go-ahead on his first attempt as he and Will make their way to Phil.
- Team Number 2: Will & James
DeAngelo likens Hayley & Kaylynn to insects (particularly cockroaches), saying they continue to survive and cannot take for granted that he and Gary will not fall behind the Blonde Bandits, who have just arrived at their SECOND Yield of the episode. Gary is able to pass table placement judgment, allowing him and DeAngelo to avoid being usurped by the cockroaches.
- Team Number 3: DeAngelo & Gary
It was never in doubt; an anti-climactic finish, both Hung and Aparna complete the Road Block as the sisters wait out their second Yield.
- Team Number 4: Hung & Chee
- Team Number 5: Eswar & Aparna
- Last Team to Arrive: Kaylynn & Hayley. Despite the duo being consistently at the back, they somehow managed to make it all the way to the final six, beating stiff competition along the way. The sisters did not complain once about their placing throughout their run and proved they were a serious threat to win.
Phil wasted no time at the mat discussing the politics within the alliance to both Riley & Maddison and Will & James. With the only teams remaining being the alliance of five, there is no room for error and plenty of room for exposing loyalties.
Power Rankings Based on Placement Average:
Riley & Maddison (3, 3, 4, 4, 1, 2, 2, 1) 2.5
Hung & Chee (1, 1, 2, 6, 2, 3, 3, 4) 2.7
Will & James (4, 6, 1, 1, 4, 4, 1, 2) 2.9
DeAngelo & Gary (10, 2, 5, 7, 5, 1, 4, 3) 4.6
Eswar & Aparna (7, 4, 6, 5, 6, 5, 6, 5) 5.5
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