Recap: The Amazing Race 37, Episode 7 – “I didn’t know where the squirt hole was coming from.”

Recap: The Amazing Race 37, Episode 7 – Be One with the Hay

Teams fly to the only European country that hasn’t changed their name since founding and where yogurt was invented: Bulgaria. Upon arrival in Sofia, teams must search the airport garage for the cars they will be self-driving on this Leg.

Teams must drive to Negushevo’s village square. Jonathan & Ana and Alyssa & Josiah are first to arrive. Brett & Mark, Han & Holden and Melinda & Erika are next with Nick & Mike and Carson & Jack having trouble driving to the village.

In the village, teams must help locals ward off evil spirits in a ritual known as Kukeri. Teams will gather three crates of apples and use a cart to deliver them to the Kukeri altar to receive their next clue.

After delivering the apples, teams must drive to Osoitsa Village Library to search for their next clue.

Jonathan & Ana stay in the lead and search through the book shelves. That clue reveals the Detour: Haystack or Woodstack. In Haystack, teams must search for a martenitsa in a big haystack. In Woodstack, teams must use a wheelbarrow and backpack to transport 200kg worth of wood.

Jonathan & Ana head to the haystacks, but Jonathan thinks they should’ve chosen the other one. Brett & Mark choose the wood. Alyssa & Josiah arrive and search through the hay.

Alyssa finds the martenitsa first and she and Josiah can how head to Sarantisi Church where teams will encounter the Double U-Turn. Phil says it is a chance for teams to “establish dominance”.

Despite Jonathan feeling negative about their choice, Ana finds the martenitsa and they hurry to the church.

Alyssa & Josiah decide not to U-Turn anyone and neither do Jonathan & Ana. Brett & Mark finish the Detour on two trips and they also not U-Turn.

Jonathan & Ana had missed the parking section and he instead parked in a ditch. Brett & Mark stop to help them try to get the car out a bit, but Jonathan tells them to just go when it doesn’t work.

Meanwhile, Han & Holden start with the wood while Melinda & Erika start with the hay.

Some locals arrive and help Jonathan & Ana pull their car out of the ditch and get back on the road. They leave just as Nick & Mike arrive to start the wood Detour.

After the Detour, teams must drive to Snezha’s Farm in Belopoptsi where they will be welcomed by 102 year old Nevenka Oshavchieva singing a song. Her long life is attributed to yogurt. And for this Road Block, Who’s ready to fill ‘er up?, teams must milk a sheep. When they have half a liter to help make yogurt for Nevenka, teams will get the next clue.

Alyssa loves animals so she decides to do the Road Block. She gets enough milk on her first try. But now she has to eat a bowl of Bulgarian yogurt to get the next clue.

Alyssa & Josiah can now make their way to the Pit Stop at Elin Pelin. They officially check-in as Team #1 and win enough Expedia Key Cash to go to Marrakech, Morocco.

Brett & Mark arrive at the farm and Mark decides to do the Road Block, though he wishes he didn’t have to.

Meanwhile, Han & Holden struggle with the heavy wood while Melinda & Erika are not having any luck with the haystacks. They and Nick & Mike finish the Detour close together and it is now a footrace to the U-Turn.

Melinda & Erika arrive first and decide to U-Turn Nick & Mike thinking they are the only ones behind them. Nick & Mike decide to U-Turn Han & Holden.

As Mark finishes the Road Block, Ana arrives and starts and Grandma Nevenka calls her the “winner” with the amount of milk she’s gotten.

Brett & Mark step on the Mat as Team #2. Jonathan & Ana are 3rd.

Back at the Detour, Nick & Mike are not thorough with their three haystacks and have to go through it all again. That allows Han & Holden to pass them.
When Melinda & Erika drive the wrong way, Holden is able to start and finish the Road Block before they arrive. Holden asks to wash his hands before eating the yogurt and he and Han leave as Melinda starts the milking.

At the Pit Stop, Han & Holden check-in as Team #4 and Melinda & Erika are Team #5.

Meanwhile, Carson & Jack arrive at the haystacks as Nick & Mike consider taking a penalty. The brothers decide to keep going as soon as they see Carson & Jack coming.

Carson & Jack decide to switch after seeing all the hay Nick & Mike have sifted through on the ground.

Carson & Jack are able to finish the wood delivery before Nick & Mike find the martenitsa which the cameraman has already spotted.

That means Carson & Jack finish the milking and head to the Pit Stop as Team #6.

Phil has to go to Nick & Mike to eliminate them at the haystacks after six hours of looking.

Episode Thoughts

I think season 37 will go down as a season that has pretty good, enjoyable episodes with meh Legs. Which is kinda annoying because it justifies TARUS’ barebones Leg design lolol Like, they can have the simplest Legs ever, but still produce good episodes. Nooo! We can’t encourage TARUS this way! lolol

Anyway, I think this season is really powered by the teams and they’ve very much elevated the otherwise bland tasks and Legs.

So let’s get to the nitpicking! lol

It’s very interesting how self-driving is now some kind of shocking event or a twist on the Race. I guess since Ford gave up on the show, it’s made less financial sense for the Race to include more self-driving Legs outside of the COVID Era. Though it certainly helped to make the drama at the end of the episode.

When Phil was introducing the first task, I was excited. I thought teams would get to participate in the Kukeri ritual. Maybe put on costumes and join the procession. Or maybe make or fix a costume. Something like that. Delivering apples?! Come on. When Brett & Mark say they wish they could’ve worn the costumes, I definitely agree with them.

For the Detour, it’s a bit of a similar thing. A needle in a haystack task or a task involving making martenitsas? I’ll go with the latter. But then again, I guess TARUS wanted an updated version of the infamous TAR6 haybales. And they definitely got it.

That said, Nick & Mike had the perfect point. Had they not needed ONE log, they wouldn’t have gotten U-Turned. And it’s very possible no other team would experience trouble like they did. So again, this season just has pieces falling into place to produce these interesting moments. Otherwise, it would all be quite uneventful.

And after delivering apples, we have another delivery task? I think this wood task is much better as it uses those difficult wooden “backpacks” that are common in many different cultures. And it’s a very physical task. So this would be a much better task here and then have teams do something different for that Kukeri task instead. One of the teams even mentioned having multiple deliveries this Leg. So TAR really should’ve done something else with the wonderful cultural immersion.

The Road Block task itself was again very run of the mill TAR. But Nevenka Oshavchieva definitely made that task worth it. Very nice to meet her. And I think an even better Road Block would’ve been to learn the song she was singing and perform it instead. Then have the sheep milking be an Active Route Info task instead.

Oh well. Like I said, the tasks and the Leg themselves are just okay. But the teams and wonderful people like Grandma Nevenka somehow elevate everything to make for an enjoyable episode.

Also! Did they put the photos in the wrong spots? Lol

The big picture is supposed to be the U-Turned team and the small spot is for the “Courtesy Of”. Lol

Team Thoughts

Nick & Mike will now go down as one of the more memorable TAR eliminations ever. Certainly in line with Lena & Kristy of TAR6. Not as emotional and not as nerve wracking I think. But still. They have had a rough Race so far, but always found a way to push through. So it’s tough to have them eliminated in this way. But again, they’ll have something not many teams have had in years. And that’s a spot on the list of most memorable ways to get eliminated on TAR.

Alyssa & Josiah get a well-deserved win. They’ve been on the backburner since their big first Leg. But perhaps that consistency has helped them make it this far and could now easily secure a spot at the top with less teams to compete against. They’re stepping it up and that’s great to see.

Han & Holden are emerging as the most interesting and exciting team to watch. In a similar way, they started out on the quiet side. At times even in danger of elimination. But they have really pushed hard and are such a great team to root for. Seeing them doing better and better is really fun.

Of all the teams to get stuck in a ditch, I think Jonathan & Ana were the perfect ones. Of course that bad luck narrative paired with the haystacks. But just to see them deal with the situation. Feeling hopeless and tense. And then picking themselves up and finishing strong like nothing happened. I will say though, was Grandma Nevenka foreshadowing the Finish Line by calling Ana the “winner”? Hehe

Melinda & Erika might be the biggest surprise. Or maybe not actually. They’ve done very well. And while on paper they might not be your first or even second choice to go far. But they’ve proven themselves very well and really could make a run for it.

Brett & Mark are another team who have continued to Race well after a rough start. And they’re doing it not in a dominant way. But a consistent Race. They’re good.

And finally Carson & Jack. They were definitely saved by those haystacks. And ultimately they should thank Melinda & Erika for U-Turning Nick & Mike I guess. Otherwise, they would’ve gotten eliminated in a horrible way after Racing so well up to this point. That said, I know they will be able to pick it back up next Leg though. So never count them out.

Episode Quotes

Actual worthy quotables? Wow!

Josiah: “Sofia, Bulgaria… Oh, Sofia Vergara, never mind.”

Brett: “You look like a cute little mountain guy.”