Having made a poor detour decision in The Amazing Race 26 Episode 1 and refusing to switch, Jeff & Lyda were eliminated.
After sleeping in computer cubicles, teams depart in the order in which they arrived.
First: Jelani & Jenny – 5:30AM
Second: Jeff & Jackie – 5:33AM
Third: Laura & Tyler – 5:45AM
Fourth: Aly & Steve – 6:14AM
Fifth: Harley & Jonathan – 6:52AM
Sixth: Bergen & Kurt – 7:10AM
Seventh: Mike & Rochelle – 7:15AM
Eighth: Hayley & Blair – 7:33AM
Ninth: Matt & Ashley – 7:36AM
Tenth: Libby & CJ – 8:20AM
Teams must catch the bullet train to Nagano, Japan. If they’re staying local, it doesn’t look good for the directionally challenged team that is way behind everybody else.
The blind date teams are all getting along for now. They are mostly just focused on the race, except for Kurt, who apparently came on the race to find his first boyfriend.
Rochelle views this race as a fast forward for their relationship of several months. That never ends well.
The road block requires teams to figure out how to open a trick box.
Road block (in order of arrival): Jeff, Tyler, Jelani, Aly, Mike, Harley, Bergen, Ashley, Hayley, Libby
Just what you need when doing a puzzle. Loud banging drums and gongs and whatever other instrument makes a lot of noise. There is certainly a skill to this task, but it’s something you could get in a few minutes or hours, though it doesn’t feel like it’s terribly complicated.
Before moving to the detour, one couple will pull a ticket for a date night at the pit stop. Ugh. This leg’s winners are Harley & Jonathan.
The detour is a choice between chair or share. Share requires teams to feed each other noodles using chopsticks. Chair requires teams to push each other around an Olympic speed skating track in 3:55 or less.
Share: Laura & Tyler, Jelani & Jenny, Jeff & Jackie, Harley & Jonathan, Bergen & Kurt, Libby & CJ, Mike & Rochelle (switched from Chair)
Chair: Aly & Steve, Matt & Ashley, Hayley & Blair
Share is clearly the better one because the other one you have to do over and over again until you get it within the time limit. It’s not like they’re eating a gross food here either. Who could have trouble eating noodles? Kurt. Apparently.
Of course, if you’re a winter Olympian like Aly & Steve, picking the other task makes sense. Then again, the gold medal hockey stars took forever on the hockey task last season on TAR Canada, but in that case skating was not the only skill required. It does not make as much sense for Mike & Rochelle, as she reluctantly gets pushed into switching by her partner after she falls and goes to see a medic.
The pit stop for this leg of the race is Patio Daimon, a storage facility turned restaurant complex.
First: Jelani & Jenny (win a Fitbit wellness kit, a very lame promotional placement, and some other stuff)
Second: Laura & Tyler
Third: Aly & Steve
Fourth: Harley & Jonathan
Fifth: Bergen & Kurt
Sixth: Jeff & Jackie
Seventh: Matt & Ashley
Eighth: Mike & Rochelle
Ninth: Hayley & Blair
Eliminated: Libby & CJ
Well, that was a pointless leg. The editors tried to make it seem like Libby & CJ had a chance, but they were so far behind the others with tasks that would not have made enough difference for them to be able to catch up. The outcome was pretty obvious from the time when all nine other teams were on their train rides and Phil announced where they were going without bothering to wait for the final team to depart.
Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of The Amazing Race 26 Episode 2, which airs Friday at 8/7c on CBS.