Recap: The Amazing Race 25, Episode 11 – “Hooping It Up”
The penultimate Leg is about to begin. But first, Jim puts a very Filipino band-aid on the cut on Misti’s foot.
They open the first clue of the Leg telling them to hop on a jeepney to Rajah Sulayman Park in Malate, Manila. The additional info tells them to find a jeepney at Paliparan Station and then transfer to another jeepney at Baclaran Station.
They run down the highway to find someone who can speak English.
Amy & Maya are right behind them. They flag down a jeepney and a passenger says Paliparan is 30-40 minutes away in this direction. Misti & Jim also hop onto this jeepney.
Adam & Bethany, powered by their faith in Jesus, ask a jeepney and are told to take a different jeepney on the other side of the highway heading in the other direction.
Brooke & Robbie are also told to hop on a jeepney on the other side of the highway toward the direction of Manila. The passengers confirm they can get dropped off at Rajah Sulayman Park.
But Jim confirms they are on their way to Paliparan Station and will be transferring twice.
Adam & Bethany arrive in Malate and open the next clue revealing the Detour. But they are only given the clue “This or That.”
Deciding on That, they must make their way to Pedro Gil Street and Pilar Hidalgo Lim. But they also ask about Malvar and Bocobo Streets for This and decide to do that one instead.
Brooke & Robbie arrive at Rajah Sulayman and they find their Speed Bump.
For this Speed Bump, Brooke & Robbie must cross Roxas Blvd. and help a street vendor transfer all his goods from a broken padyak over to a new one.
Misti & Jim and Amy & Maya are still oblivious to the fact that they are now in last.
Adam & Bethany arrive at Malvar and Bocobo Sts. For This, teams will play basketball against a neighborhood team and must score 21 points to get the next clue.
While Adam & Bethany and Brooke & Robbie are well on their way this Leg, Misti & Jim and Amy & Maya are now stopped at a gas station so their jeepney can get a “RePhil.”
Brooke & Robbie are already finished with their Speed Bump. Misti & Jim and Amy & Maya joke about their combined intellect getting them to the Pit Stop before Adam & Bethany and Brooke & Robbie even arrive at Rajah Sulayman Park.
They ask a passenger where the park is and she tells them it’s in Manila… which is in the opposite direction of where they’re going. They need to change jeepneys.
Misti asks if it is worth the risk.
“What risk? We’re going in the wrong direction.”
They get off and try to catch a jeepney on the other side of the highway.
Adam & Bethany are still playing basketball. Adam is having Shaq-level troubles with free throws. But they have 20 points now with one free throw to win. And Adam makes it.
They open the next clue pointing them to the corner of Sto. Cristo and San Nicolas Streets near Divisoria Market where they will search for a marked jeepney.
Adam & Bethany leave just as Brooke & Robbie arrive to start the Detour. Brooke has played basketball for years, but she’s a little rusty.
Misti & Jim and Amy & Maya finally arrive at Rajah Sulayman Park and both choose That which the taxi driver says is closer. They also almost get run over by a jeepney.
On the way to Divisoria, Adam & Bethany can’t find their clue. Brooke gets her basketball mojo back and she powers her and Robbie to 22 points.
Amy & Maya and Misti & Jim arrive at the Detour location for That.
In That, teams must pedal a padyak around a marked course in the neighborhood for four laps with each team member doing 2 laps with the other as the passenger. If they can complete the four laps in under 17 minutes and 55 seconds, they’ll get the next clue.
Jim and Maya decide to pedal first and are on their way after they pass the dancing traffic enforcer.
Adam & Bethany arrive at Divisoria, but don’t know where to go because they can’t find their clue. Elsewhere, Brooke feels like she’s going to throw up, so she asks the taxi driver to turn on the AC. She does it herself, but the driver says No no, they engine will be too hot.
Jim and Maya are done with their first lap and must switch now. Misti is having trouble because Jim is so heavy. Amy is having trouble steering the bike.
That’s when Amy rams into a parked van. She quickly picks herself up and passes Misti. Amy decides to continue into the 3rd lap while Misti and Jim switch off.
While Adam & Bethany are still wandering around Divisoria where no one speaks English, Brooke & Robbie arrive at the cluebox. And that cluebox contains the Road Block.
For this Road Block, teams will go cuckoo for coconuts by delivering two Filipino coconut products, bunot (coconut husks used for polishing floors) and brooms called walis tingting. Using an “Order sa Trabaho” or Work Order sheet hanging on the side of the jeepney, teams will need to deliver the correct number of products to three different stalls in Divisoria in exchange for three receipts that will get them the next clue.
Robbie decides to do the Road Block, but he is not sure where to deliver the stuff since he doesn’t see the list on the side of the jeepney.
Back at the Detour, Misti pushes through the pain of her cut foot which she is sure has bled through her shoe. Misti & Jim and Amy & Maya finish and head to Divisoria by taxi.
Back at Divisoria, Robbie rereads his clue and realizes he needs to look at the list.
Adam & Bethany still don’t know where to go. As Misti & Jim arrive at the cluebox, Adam & Bethany decide to search through his bag again and they find the clue.
Adam & Bethany arrive and Jim and Adam do the Road Block. But neither see the Order sa Trabaho list. Amy & Maya get out of their taxi and walk to the cluebox because of all the traffic. Amy will do the Road Block. She sees the locations, but has trouble finding the correct intersection.
Robbie finds the first stall, but he has the wrong number of bunots. He realizes he didn’t take note of the number of items, so he leaves his bunots and walises in a nearby stall and heads back.
Adam and Jim run into each other, both lost. They decide to head back and they finally see the list.
The teams are drenched in sweat under the hot Philippine sun. But Robbie finishes the Road Block and he and Brooke are on their way to the Pit Stop at Baluarte de San Diego in Intramuros.
Adam makes his delivery while Jim and Amy borrow hand trucks/dollies. Amy is really struggling, however, but Maya tries to encourage her.
Adam exchanges his three receipts for the next clue and he and Bethany hop into a taxi with some glorious “aircon.” Jim is close behind.
Maya hands Amy a bottle of water as he heads out on her last delivery. Maya cheers her on when she gets back. They hop into a taxi, but Amy is not feeling well. She’s shaking with the chills.
All teams are on the way to the Pit Stop.
But it is Brooke & Robbie who arrive first and have made history (“just like the Cowboys”) by going from worst to first. They are officially one of the teams racing to the Finish Line.
BUT WAIT! They must continue Racing because the Final Leg starts right now. Phil hands them the next clue and a manila envelope which they will open only when instructed to do so.
Adam & Bethany and Misti & Jim arrive as Teams #2 and #3 respectively. They also get the clue and manila envelope.
That means Amy & Maya are last.
They step on the Mat, but Amy is still not feeling too hot. Well, she feels warm, but is actually cold. Phil calls in the crew with umbrellas and water and she sits on a monobloc as the medics check her out.
She feels better now, so Phil breaks the news. They are the last time to arrive. BUT! For the first time ever, FOUR teams will be racing in the Final Leg!!! That means Amy & Maya are still in the Race.
But Phil will be eliminating one team sometime during the Final Leg.
Episode Thoughts
WOWOWOW!
This was an absolutely amazing Leg. I think this might just rival Morocco 1 as their Emmy submission this year. This episode had everything; great tasks, exciting drama and competition, a dancing traffic enforcer, crashing bikes, walis tingtings and a huge surprise twist!
I also must say this has to be the best Philippine Leg of any TAR Philippine Leg ever. Yes, even better than any Leg that contains Pig or Jig! It is really interesting how this is the first time the Philippines fills the “poor metro” role in a route since every TAR visit in the past (TAR5, TARA2, TARA4, TARAu2 and TAR Ukraine) has always been either a rural or tropical resort Leg.
And anyone who knows anything about Metro Manila knows it can rival the craziest of Asian metropolises from India or Indonesia or Bangladesh or Sri Lanka. I’ve always hoped for a Manila Leg where teams had to brave the insane Manila traffic and in this Leg, they actually got thrown right into that traffic head on! Literally!
So it really was amazing to see a “poor metro” Philippine Leg and it did not disappoint. I really loved TAR making teams taking public transportation instead of just letting them hop into taxis. (Which, surprisingly enough, were almost clueless about Divisoria and Intramuros?! That is shocking lol)
The clue actually told teams to transfer jeepneys. Transferring jeepneys is nothing like transferring on the subway or on buses, that’s for sure. But that was a very strange first clue probably just to mess with teams, especially knowing this was a Superleg situation.
Though I was also surprised to see they threw in a lot of “Do you speak English” and even more surprised to see the locals seem apprehensive to talk to the teams. Filipinos love being on camera, especially if it involves foreigners and even more so Americans. And that love for the spotlight trumps any Filipino being overly conscious about their broken English skills. That was amusing.
I loved that they had teams in Malate and Divisoria. The area they were biking around in Malate looked alright enough, but the nightlife, if you know what I mean, is very lively in certain areas there. I remember taking the wrong turn there a few years ago in the late evening and saw my fair share of, ahem, well, you know. lol
And Divisoria is definitely crazy. Stalls everywhere you turn, large crowds, a reminder to keep your personal belongings safe. I loved that they had the teams running around here. And this being in May and June when the summer season is still on full hot blast really added to the drama and excitement.
The tasks were all great. The padyak Speed Bump was one of the best Speed Bumps in a long time. The “anonymous” Detour gimmick is still meh, but I guess it works here since both locations are within walking distance of each other. And both Detours were pretty solid.
The Road Block was excellent though. It was physical and it threw teams right in the middle of the chaos of Divisoria. And the Pit Stop at Baluarte de San Diego. Hello TARPH2 Starting Line! (Though filmed after TAR25 =))
Yeah, I’m one of those TAR fans who have been itching for TARUS to return to the Philippines. (No different from other fans who wish for TAR to go to X country or Y city.) And while I initially questioned them having a Manila Leg instead of some rural Leg or a cultural Cordillera Northern Luzon Leg or a Pig or Jig, I am more than happy with what they decided to do for this Leg 11. I forgot just how crazy fun it can be in Manila, especially for foreigners on The Amazing Race. And Manila definitely filled this season’s “poor metro” role very well. I also now realize how Singapore was the perfect contrast to this Manila Leg too. lol
I absolutely hate TAR24 so much forever and ever. But I really would’ve LOVED to have seen these 2 Philippine Legs push through last season. We could’ve seen Rachel! and the other “All-Stars” racing through Manila or doing My Ox is Broken instead of those half-hearted Malaysian replacement Legs (especially that Kuala Lumpur Leg) we did get. AND there would’ve been 8 and 9 teams racing.
I also wish TARPH2 did this Leg, task-for-task. The TARPH2 teams definitely did not have a Leg this tough.
Amy crashing into the van, the driver was actually inside of it! Lolol
About the Final 4 Final Leg, it’s an interesting twist! It definitely adds to this already great Season 25. Should be interesting to see how it plays out next week.
Overall, this was an amazing Leg and exciting episode!
My Subjective Team Rankings
Amy & Maya are awesome. Maya’s excitement is just so charming and likeable. And Amy’s toughness really came out this Leg. She did amazingly. I’m happy they will be racing in the Final Leg and I am definitely rooting for them to win.
Misti & Jim almost got done in by hopping into the wrong jeepney. If it weren’t for Amy & Maya, Misti & Jim probably would’ve kept going southeast and arrived at the Cagsawa Ruins to participate in Jig or Pig. lol But they have definitely done their work and deserve a spot in the final Leg, no doubt.
Adam & Bethany were definitely more likeable and easier to root for this Leg. They did a great job getting into the lead, but they also did just enough to stay there too. They did have that possibly fatal mistake of losing their clue, but they found it anyway. Still another deserving team in the final Leg.
Brooke & Robbie powered through this Leg and there is no denying they accomplished a major feat by not only overcoming a Speed Bump to survive the penultimate Leg, they finished first. Ewe at comparing them to the Cowboys though. Brooke & Robbie > Jet & Cord any day.
They’re back!
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4 thoughts on “Recap: The Amazing Race 25, Episode 11 – “We almost got hit!””
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No penalty for Amy & Maya for coming in last makes for a not-so Amazing Race. While you are very happy with the Race visiting the Philippines, I can’t help think how the once mighty Race has fallen. This episode will be the last of the U.S. version I ever watch as I can’t build any enthusiam for it anymore as all the used to make the Race great has been stripped away. Luckily, there are many non-U.S. versions to occupy my time with.
Thanks for making me feel welcome on your website. It was great while it lasted, but eventually everything becomes old , stale, and loses its luster.
It does seem like this Leg borrowed from TAR Philippines strange “Superlegs” lol
But I honestly do think TAR25 is the best season since TAR17. And while it still does not come close to the classic seasons, I think TAR25 is a major step forward after the major steps back the last few seasons.
Now with the upcoming TAR26, I might just share your feelings (lol) but we’ll see.
Glad you saw Nat win “Survivor.” She got real lucky Jacklyn didn’t take Keith with her instead which would have been the smart move.
As for TAR25 being the best since TAR17 isn’t saying much. That’s not even halfway back to the beginning of the once great program. So unless there’s a “The Amazing Race” with only past race winners or the best of the racers of the international versions, I’ve finally joined the rest of my family and given up on the race for good.
Yeah, haven’t actually watched the episode yet, but immediately looked for the results earlier! Now how about Rachel Reilly for Survivor! hehe
I would love an International All-Stars Race. TAR: US vs The World in the vein of TAR Aus vs NZ. 🙂