Leg 7: Morocco to Italy
Wanna know what a couple of professional wrestlers call a duo of food scientists movin' along at a steady clip? They call it the "Candy Girl Jog," and with any luck it'll be sweeping the nation -- or, at the very least, the corridors of Babcock Hall -- in no time!
Now that that's out of the way, let's dig deeper into this episode of The Amazing Race. The challenges in this seventh leg were a lot of fun, but without a doubt, they also highlighted mutually beneficial, helpful interaction between the teams, which was brought to the fore over and over again.
Right off the bat, you have #TheCyclists Kym and Alli, who are the most carefree of the pack, opting to share a cab with comparatively "square" Misti and Jim, a.k.a. #TheDentists. The two teams have openly moaned and groaned about each other a number of times so far, but it was good to see them working together and finding whatever common ground they can, however temporarily it might be. If there's a reason The Amazing Race has won 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, it is for moments like this.
The first outright challenge upon the racers' arrival in Palermo, Sicily -- riding in cabs with people you don't like doesn't count -- was a roadblock in which one team member had to race a go-kart up to the top of a course in less than four minutes. Following that, he or she was driven in a real race car, by a real race car driver, back down to their teammate.
For Madison's #SweetScientists, Maya elected to drive the kart while Amy waited at the finish line. Thanks to the teams' differening arrival times, Maya was the only driver to get a shot at the course all by herself, but she ran well over the time limit and had to try it again.
C'mon Maya, go-karts in Italy are just like go-karts in the U.S. of A. -- which is to say, just floor it all the way! At least the lead-in to her getting behind the wheel gave the episode its wonderful title.
After the roadblock came a detour, with teams required to choose between restoring a fresco or a task that was opera-centric and memory-based. At first, the UW food scientists went for the painting-based option, but only four teams were allowed to do that one, and so they got "booted" on to the opera.
It was all for the best, though, since the opera option ended up being the clear winner among the two detours since the painting was incredibly time-intensive. Continuing the theme of togetherness, #TheWrestlers Brooke and Robbie worked to put their heads together with Amy and Maya to match opera performers to their costumes.
This episode marked the highest-finishing spot for Amy and Maya, with them landing in third just ahead of Brooke and Robbie. #CollegeSweethearts Tim and Te Jay came in last, but thankfully for them it wasn't an elimination leg, so no one went home.
When they found some time to reflect at the finish line, Amy and Maya discussed how they're learning from mistakes and building their teamwork skills, as well as their growing bonds with other contestants.
With any luck, Amy and Maya will be doing the Candy Girl Jog right into The Amazing Race winner's circle!
Keep up with the #SweetScientists and view images of them racing on the team's Facebook page.
