Recap: The Amazing Race (24) All-Stars 2, Episode 8 – “Donkeylicious”
Brendon & Rachel start the morning off opening the first clue of the Leg telling them to hop in a brand new Ford Focus to drive themselves to Civita di Bagnoregio. Also, U-TURN AHEAD!
Brendon & Rachel consider U-Turning the Cowboys so they will be forced to use the Express Pass.
Caroline & Jen depart next and say they suck at directions so they want to stick with Dave & Connor who they’re very close with. On the road, Caroline & Jen are excited being two blondes who are kicking ass on the Race, again, against tough all-guy teams. They say they can definitely hang with the boys.
That is, until Dave & Connor drive too far ahead and they get separated.
Brendon & Rachel maintain their lead as they arrive at the castle and find the Detour.
For this Detour, teams will get to work with the city’s favorite animal.
In Donkey Run, teams will take part in the town’s famous donkey Race by each hopping on a donkey and making three laps around the course before the band finishes playing.
In Donkey Build, teams head to Geppetto’s workshop where they must use all pieces provided to assemble a donkey. After loading the donkey with wood, they must deliver it to Geppetto for their next clue.
Brendon & Rachel choose to do Donkey Build, but they end up arriving at the donkey race location first, so they decide to do that instead. They put on their helmets and remember that a donkey that’s just pooped will be faster, so they choose those ones.
They get started, but Rachel falls off during the first lap. Brendon follows when he tries to help Rachel back up. Both of them try to hop back onto their donkeys, but the music finishes.
Dave & Connor arrive, also choosing Donkey Run. They yell over to Brendon asking where the helmets are, but Brendon doesn’t say. Dave & Connor are annoyed, just like how Rachel didn’t tell them where the clue was last week.
“We kinda learned they were definitely not out to help us.”
While Dave & Conner get ready, Brendon & Rachel make their 2nd attempt and get through their three laps. They open the next clue telling them to find the next clue at Hostaria Del Ponte.
Dave & Connor ask if the Detour was hard and Brendon & Rachel say yes as they get directions to the cluebox.
Meanwhile, Caroline & Jen and the Globetrotters are lost.
Brendon & Rachel get to the U-Turn board. Rachel thinks the Cowboys, but Brendon says Dave & Connor who are right behind them. They place the pictures on the board and head to the next clue at La Badia Di Orvieto.
Rachel thinks it should’ve been the Cowboys, but Brendon reasons that to be sure, why not Dave & Connor. They don’t know where the Cowboys ar… oh, they just drive past them.
The Cowboys decide to use the Express Pass on the Donkey Build side of the Detour and they run into Dave & Connor who are finishing the donkey race on their 4th attempt. They try to find the U-Turn together as Leo & Jamal just arrive.
“Brendon and Rachel, those snakes! They U-Turn a 60 year old man!?”
Dave & Connor debate who to U-Turn while Jet & Cord have to wait for them to get off the U-Turn Mat. They decide to U-Turn Leo & Jamal.
“I could kill the Brenchels.”
They run back down and on the way, Dave & Connor tell Leo & Jamal that they had to U-Turn them because of Brendon & Rachel.
“Can you believe that!?”
They decide to do the Donkey Build Detour together. Leo & Jamal say in their confessional that they have no reason to cry or whine about getting U-Turned as it’s part of the game.
Brendon & Rachel arrive at the next clue and find the Road Block.
“Who’s got the write stuff?”
In this Road Block, teams need to copy a page from an ancient manuscript by hand like it was done before the invention of the printing press. When the monk approves, they’ll get the next clue.
Rachel decides to do the Road Block. She heads to a small room next to the chapel where Brendon waits and whispers encouragement.
The Cowboys arrive and Jet decides to do the Road Block.
Caroline & Jen finally arrive at the Detour where Dave & Connor and Leo & Jamal are still figuring out the donkey. Caroline & Jen are annoyed that Dave & Connor ditched them, but they waste no time in telling the Country Girls they were U-Turned. They do promise Caroline & Jen to wait for them and Leo & Jamal to finish their donkeys and they’ll help them.
Leo & Jamal and Dave & Connor have no idea what they’re doing wrong as they keep getting the thumbs down. They don’t know they have to drape the crate over the donkey’s back. Leo & Jamal decide to go do the other Detour and ask Dave & Connor to tell them what’s missing later.
Dave & Connor finally realize it’s the crates and they finally get the thumbs up. They tell Caroline & Jen who also get the approval. “You’re following us,” Dave tells the girls. They deliver their donkey first by carrying it the whole way even when it has wheels then go back to carry Caroline & Jen’s donkey for them. On the way, they tell Leo & Jamal the critical information as they fail their first attempt at the race.
Dave & Connor wait for Caroline & Jen and they run to their cars together.
“We’re gonna kill them, that snotty woman! I said to Connor this morning, ‘She’s scary lookin!'”
“UGH!!!!! I HATE THE BRENCHELS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!’
The Globetrotters arrive just as the CancerCountry pair leave.
Leo & Jamal head back to the building after finishing the race and the Globetrotters have two attempts at the live donkeys before deciding to switch.
Brendon is praying as Rachel goes to watch a demonstration on how to gold-leaf. She’s excited about this task since she’s an “artiste,” she’s done calligraphy and gold-leafed before. But when she goes back to get approval after she’s finished, the monk says her writing is too skinny and fat.
At the Detour, the Globetrotters are horsing around with the donkey trying to figure out what’s wrong.
Dave & Connor arrive at the Road Block with Caroline & Jennifer, literally, right behind them. As in, pretty much grabbing onto their packs.
They get to the cluebox. “Thanks guys!” Connor says when he sees Brendon. Brendon apologizes and laughs when he sees they’re not having any of that.
“Thank you, we appreciate that! Golly, a SIXTY year old man!?”
Before they walk into the chapel, Dave and Connor argue over who will do the Road Block. Dave absolutely refuses, so Connor reluctantly heads into the room. Brendon tries to apologizes again, saying it was nothing personal, but Dave really doesn’t want to hear it.
Dave follows Connor into the small room just as Rachel comes out to talk to Brendon. Dave gives Rachel two strong pats on the back with a “Thank you!”
Back at the Detour, the Globetrotters are still clueless about their donkey crate, so they decide to go back to the race.
Rachel finally gets the thumbs up from the monk and she and Brendon open the next clue pointing them to the Pit Stop. Driving to Orvieto, teams will take the funicular to the town center and the Mat at the Piazza Del Duomo in front of the landmark cathedral.
Dave, Jennifer and Cord talk about why anyone would want to U-Turn Dave & Connor as Leo & Jamal arrive.
While the Globetrotters finally finish the Detour, Brendon & Rachel keep their lead and officially step on the Mat in 1st place.
Phil officially checks them in and tells them they’ve won $7,500 each.
Jet and Caroline finish the Road Block while Jamal is almost done. The Globetrotters invoke the name of the Beekmans hoping to catch up. But Connor is considering quitting the Road Block and taking a penalty.
When Jamal finishes, he and Leo want to stay and wait and maybe help Connor. When Connor gets his page approved, they leave together. On the road, Caroline & Jen have stopped to ask for directions. Dave & Connor catch up to them, ask where they need to go then drive off ahead of them.
Jet & Cord finish 2nd while Leo & Jamal take 3rd. Dave & Connor run ahead of Caroline & Jennifer to the Mat and they finish 4th and 5th respectively.
That leaves the Globetrotters, Flight Time & Big Easy in last and eliminated.
Episode Thoughts
Well then. Definitely an interesting episode.
First, the tasks and locations. The tasks were fine. The Detour was evenly matched for a U-Turn. Donkeys, and really all live animals, are great on the Race. I would’ve liked to see more live donkeys being “asses” to the teams, but it was fine. Great to see the locals involved. The donkey building Detour was pretty good too since there were no examples and teams needed to be alert to finish that task.
The Road Block was alright as well. It was one of those “attention to detail” tasks that require teams not to get frustrated.
Beautiful, stunning locations of course. And I think they were able to use the locations very well and highlighted them well too.
Now, to the drama of the episode. First of all, this is The Amazing Race. Now, the Leg designs of the recent seasons have been sorely lacking. And that’s really taken a lot of the competition away from what was once a very fierce competition that had teams actually COMPETING and Racing against each other.
In recent seasons we’ve seen teams go beyond having simple alliances and now see teams waiting on others, doing tasks for each other. Like, what the frak is that?! You can be friends with other teams without slowing yourself down. If you can’t run this Race on your own, then tough luck. You shouldn’t be expecting any help from anyone. It’s just the two of you against ten other teams. (And in some seasons, ELEVEN!)
It’s hard not to take things personally, especially in the heat of competition, but now we’re seeing people get so offended when others are more focused on competing rather than holding each other’s hands at the campfire. We’re seeing teams have to rely on others more frequently. None of that is enjoyable.
The Amazing Race really is supposed to be fun and good. But pretending like this is not some kind of competition and instead treating it as a schoolyard recess game is disgusting. Now that’s truly offensive to the legacy of the franchise and of Races past. And of teams past especially. Seasons and teams that Bertram van Munster and Co. apparently want to forget about. But true, long-time fans will never throw those good ol’ days aside.
My Subjective Team Rankings
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Brendon & Rachel did nothing wrong. Let’s get that out of the way first. It’s a U-Turn. It’s part of the Race. And they wanted to win the Leg and a prize. Do you really think other teams would think twice about U-Turning them? I don’t think so. Especially for them who won ZERO Legs on TAR20, for them to have already won two and have a chance at a 3rd, why not? Especially when you don’t know if you’re going to have another chance a U-Turn this Race. People may not like Brenchel, but open-minded fans, even the fickle and sometimes misguided TAR casuals have commented that they have greatly toned down their dramatics this season. Now THAT is huge. When the TAR casuals actually like you after hating you!? HUGE accomplishment.
Boy, you know it’s bad when Flight Time & Big Easy are more tolerable than other teams. And while they didn’t defecate on national monuments this Race, they Raced horribly. Their performance on this Race has to be their worst ever. They seemed to be phoning it in this time around. No effort, no hustle. And this Leg was the perfect example of it. It was almost as if they were forced back for some reason. After Margie & Luke’s miserable elimination, Flight Time & Big Easy get their miserable elimination. And that’s actually pretty sad. To have the only three-peaters get eliminated in horrible ways is both hilarious and disappointing. It only makes a mockery of this horrible cast.
And you know it is REALLY bad when Jet & Cord are actually more tolerable than other teams. But while they were the Dave & Connor of their first two seasons and with their hovering homophobia, this incarnation of the Cowboys is the most tolerable of their three appearances. They’ve Raced on their own, they’ve done well and haven’t really expected anything other to compete. That’s more than can be said about other teams.
Leo & Jamal really can be insufferable sometimes. As soon as they realized Flight Time & Big Easy were behind them and they were assured safety this Leg, they go and return to their loud, annoying antics. But maybe even worse, them catching CancerCountry’s disease of needing help from other teams AND helping other teams to the detriment of your own placement. They finished 3rd this Leg, but to actually wait for another team!? Come on. I almost prefer the fake-villain Leo & Jamal than this “Let’s be friends” Leo & Jamal. And realizing that there are two distinct personalities makes it even worse considering they are doing all of this to play up to the cameras.
Caroline & Jen are absolutely useless. They can do everything and they can do nothing. They can do some things and others are too hard and unfair for two women. They’re two blondes who are keeping up with the big strong men of the Race… by following them and expecting their help and Express Passes. What a disgrace to such female teams like Charla & Mirna, Nat & Kat, Brook & Claire, Jamie & Cara and especially Dustin & Kandice who all made it to the Final 4 (BQs twice) without the help of other teams. They worked on their own, no complaining, no whining. No wanting tasks that catered to women. Caroline & Jen are just unbelievable.
And if Caroline & Jen are a disgrace to all-female teams of the past, Dave & Connor are a disgrace to all parent-child and older teams of the past. Dave’s “I’M SIXTY!!!!!!!!” is one of the worst things I’ve ever heard on the Race. I just think of Meredith & Gretchen. Gretchen who busted her head open and made it to Final 4.
Mary Jean of Don & Mary Jean who completed one of the toughest Road Blocks.
And Bill & Cathi, who actually were U-Turned (and older than Dave) but didn’t care. Then there’s the parent-child teams, Ron & Christina, Gary & Mallory and grandparent/grandchild team of Nic & Don. Final 3 teams who also worked on their own.
Most of them were even older than Dave, yet Raced without complaining or whining about their ages. They didn’t expect special treatment for being the oldest team in the Race. They didn’t ask others to lay down and let them get in front of the gas line. They didn’t beg another team to let them step on the Mat first. And they certainly didn’t whine about getting U-Turned.
Dave & Connor, Dave especially, have been increasingly self-righteous this Race. An extension of what they showed in TAR22. They’ve appeared very entitled, while also being incredibly boring. And yet here they are spouting off hypocritical nonsense. Oh, so U-Turning another team is so bad? Then why did you U-Turn Leo & Jamal when you didn’t have to. Oh, another team didn’t hand you the clue? How about not only refusing to work with Pam & Winnie, but then cheating off them at the Road Block in Bali to claim first place?
They talk of snakes, yet have no problem insulting Rachel’s looks. Okay. They have quickly become one of the most sanctimonious teams ever on the Race. And to top it all off, Connor thought of quitting the Road Block. Horrible.
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Hi!
What’s the name of that monk choir song they play?