Amazing Race 39 episode 2 recap: Madrid mistakes

“Anxiety sometimes gets the better of you,” Jody told Phil Keoghan at the pit stop for The Amazing Race 39 episode two in Madrid.

Yes, anxiety was running high and it wasn’t just Jody and Jenn that panicked and used their Express Pass. Both Daisha and Dalton, and Cody and Jaime, used theirs mid-challenge.

I really like the strategic possibilities this new Express Pass opens up. Do you just skip a challenge to leapfrog over teams? Wait until you’re falling behind? So far, teams seem to be pulling it out in a moment of panic—but maybe that’s good strategy!

Then again, Dafina and Saran preserved through the Detour, though they checked in second-to-last, still have their Express Pass. They’re one of five of the remaining 11 teams have it, and I wonder if we’ll see three more next episode, too.

Equalized ► An early-morning start meant all the teams were on the same (long!) flight from Vancouver to Paris, and then to Madrid. So instead of airport intrigue, we got a new alliance: the teams of women forming a “girl squad,” as Joanna said, or a “Boss Lady” alliance, as Riley named it. And then it fell apart immediately, alas.

In Madrid, the teams all ran together toward the Metro, and nearly bowled over some people. It looked like the ticket machines might be what made a difference. But they all got on the same train, with their camera crews racing and smashing in alongside them. Sorry, Madrileños!

Roadblock ► “La Tomatina” returned from TAR 10, and may have used the same tomatoes. I was thinking: Wasting real tomatoes in this economy? But they were rotten!

One team member had to search a huge pile for a tomato that had a tiny vibrator with a clue while people pelted them with tomatoes.

The needle-in-a-haystack challenge is tough, but almost everyone’s strategy seemed insane! Anuar was swimming through the tomatoes; someone was punching them; most were sifting through them as if they were digging in sand. Don’t you want to try one tomato at a time? Did I miss that the tomatoes were otherwise marked?

Matt did say “the tomatoes were rock hard,” so perhaps they were just looking for ones that had tiny billionaires on them? (Sorry, just watched this week’s South Park.)

His wife, Michelle, said, “Matt can’t find where his socks are in our house,” but Matt did find a tomato. Maybe he can now find his socks! Or a supportive partner! Speaking of, Dalton used the Express Pass despite Daisha’s objection.

Katie was the last person left searching, and the throwers were chanting her name while hurling tomatoes—I thought they were mocking her, but then they cheered when she found one.

Metro Sol/Sur ► Erin found the first tomato clue—and they got on the wrong train, which they learned thanks to Erin shusshing Javier while getting help from a stranger. I loved their interview on the second train, surrounded by people smiling who were like, I’m on The Amazing Race!

Katie and Charlotte also got on the wrong train, not paying attention when one of them even said “Del Sur” and the other said “whatever.” Once they figured it out, Katie sat on the train back to where they came from, unbothered, eating a snack, saying, “I’m not panicking yet!” Maybe that is the time to panic? Or at least plan?

Detour ► Teams faced a choice of carrying ham and then reproducing a charcuterie board, or ID 12 people dressed as historic figures who gave them clues.

When Ali and Joanna ran to the clue box in the middle of a square, people were cheering for them. At that task, Dafina and Sarina were hilarious, giving compliments to the models (“slay!”), and they enlisted some people to look up clues. But I don’t know what went wrong; they just kept getting things wrong.

At the ham task, Andrea took a break from yelling at her dad to ask the judge, “Are they allowed to?!” when Cody and Jamie used their Express Pass mid-challenge.

Meanwhile, Doug and Dylan were wandering around the city. Considering their interview was filmed at night, I was convinced this was their last leg, and that’s too bad because they seem close.

“I saw his first breath,” Doug said, and his grandson Dylan said, And I’ll see his last. Which may be soon if grandpa doesn’t haul his ass through Madrid—MOVE OLD MAN! Actually, it was Dylan who started melting down when they were trying to find the Detour. “I don’t want any more apologies,” grandpa Doug said, or I’ll watch you take your last breath as I beat you to death with this jamón!!

Pit stop ► Phil was waiting at the Plaza de España, which was about a 2.3 km walk from the museum and a 2 km walk from the restaurant, so neither location offered an advantage.

On their anniversary, Ali and Joanna checked in first, and won a trip to Tasmania—which they thought was in Africa. So hopefully they can use some Expedia OneKey™ KeyCash Expediated Money Money Money™ to also buy an atlas.

They have their Express Pass, too, and Joanna is preparing for the worst. “A lot of really tough challenges still lie ahead, so you’d be silly this think that you have this race in your back pocket,” she said, “because this thing will slap you in the face.”

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