TAR 37, Recap Leg 5, 4/2/25

Welcome to Leg 5! Last time, on Let’s All Run a Giant Circle Together Around This City, 10 teams made their way from Kyoto to Bali. We are introduced to the Driver’s Seat, which Jonathan and Ana use to give themselves the least amount of weight on the Roadblock, and then choose to use the Express Pass instead. Teams are irritated, but power through. The Vegas Gays have major taxi trouble, but they are strong at tasks so they manage to do better than Bernie and Carrigain, who are eliminated. Who will be eliminated. . . next? (click for more)

Arrival at the pit stop last episode:

1st – Jonathan and Ana, Team California Fitness

2nd – Carson and Jack, Team DND Gaymers

3rd – Scott and Lori, Team Mormon Octomom

4th – Melinda and Erika, Team Mother-Daughter Dance

5th – Alyssa and Josiah, Team Newlywed Nurses

6th – Han and Holden, Team Sibling Rivalry

7th – Brett and Mark, Team Vegas Showgays

8th – Nick and Mike, Team TAR Brothers

9th – Pops and Jeff, Team Loumberjacks

Pura Dalem Pelapuan, Kubu, Bali, Indonesia

Teams are invited to spend the night with the locals in Penglipuran Village. (Toyouke: “A homestay? Huh.”) Teams then get up early the next morning to get their next clue.

4:58 AM Jonathan/Ana (1st) – Ana talks about how she lost a baby due to an ectopic pregnancy and that the Race is to help her show that she can overcome anything. (Toyouke: “I don't like this blatant attempt at making us all feel bad for Ana before they get U-Turned.”)

Clue: Make your way by taxi to Padangtegal and find the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary to get your next clue.

5:40 AM Carson/Jack (2nd) – Jack: “We need to make sure to leave our snacks inside our bag.” Carson: “Except for me!” (Toyouke: “You’re not a snack. But I will grant the boys that they're doing well but no one thinks they're a threat, which apparently is important this season.”)

5:41 AM Scott/Lori (3rd) – who explain this is a further continuation of their weight loss journey, as Lori is down 70 pounds and Scott has lost 100.

5:57 AM Melinda/Erika (4th)

6:00 AM Alyssa/Josiah (5th)

6:01 AM Han/Holden (6th)

6:03 AM Brett/Mark (7th)

6:04 AM Nick/Mike (8th) – Nick explains he got rice in his eye on the last leg, so he’s trying not to exacerbate it.

6:05 AM Pops/Jeff (9th) – (Toyouke: “I love that Jeff is smart enough to see all that drama in the front of the pack, and hope for more while staying out of it. I bet he and Pops do super well with chaos.”)

So teams make their way by taxi to the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary. Teams arrive in the following order:

1- Jonathan/Ana
2- Carson/Jack
3- Scott/Lori

4- Melinda/Erika

5- Alyssa/Josiah

6- Brett/Mark

7- Han/Holden

8- Pops/Jeff

9- Nick/Mike

We arrive at the Monkey Sanctuary, only to find it doesn’t open until 8 am. So there’s plenty of time for drama, where Scott and Lori confront Jonathan and Ana about the Express Pass. Lori wants to know why they burned a 15 pound weight for themselves, and they explain they didn’t know they were going to use it then. Then Ana to Lori: “You did well though.” (Toyouke: “You can't run into a team you screwed and say "You did well though" and expect that to sound sincere. It's not going to work. "Nothing personal", sure, no one will believe that either but sure. "You did well though" is so condescending.”) So teams wait for Hours of Operation, walk the jungle trails, look at monkeys and eventually stumble onto Phil.

This is a Blind Double U-Turn Vote. Teams may choose to U-turn any team they wish, but they may only get one vote. If a team receives the first or second most votes and is U-turned, they must complete both Detour options when they arrive.

(Toyouke: “I don't like a vote, because I think you should still have to beat a team to the U-Turn to use it, but this will be good drama.”)

1- Brett/Mark choose to U-Turn Scott/Lori - (Toyouke: "You can't present yourselves as a weak team when you come in top three every time" EXACTLY THANK YOU. And then to accuse them of using being nice as a strategy! I love it.") 

2- Jonathan/Ana choose to U-Turn Nick/Mike – Jonathan: "Carson and Jack are the best team here" (Toyouke: “They're good, but they are nowhere the best, but also then what is this vote, and second, saying you're voting for someone you don't know very well sounds like you're punishing them for not liking you. “)

3- Pops/Jeff choose to U-Turn Jonathan/Ana

4- Han/Holden choose to U-Turn Scott/Lori

5- Melinda/Erika choose to U-Turn Scott/Lori

6- Carson/Jack choose to U-Turn Jonathan/Ana

7- Nick/Mike choose to U-Turn Scott/Lori

8- Alyssa/Josiah choose to U-Turn Jonathan/Ana

9- Scott/Lori choose to U-Turn Jonathan/Ana – (Toyouke: “While Scott has a point that someone could get one vote and be U-Turned, I highly doubt that he and Lori gave Jonathan and Ana a guilt trip just to protect themselves from retaliation. Come on. You just wanted to make them feel bad, and now you're hoping it also helps you in the game. Also, this stupid guilt trip UGH. I do like Scott and Lori for being good at the Race in general, but this moralizing and guilt tripping is terrible.")   

(Toyouke: "Also you'll notice no one voted for Brett and Mark, a team who has proven more than once that they are very good at tasks.”)

(Toyouke: “I do think maybe teams thought everyone else would vote Jonathan and Ana, so they would each be free to vote for Scott and Lori.”) So Scott and Lori AND Jonathan and Anna are U-Turned in a 4-4-1 vote over Nick and Mike, and will have to perform both sides of the Detour when they arrive later in the leg. (Toyouke: “I think this is a pretty definitive vote, so it's not like it matters if Jonathan and Ana had piled on Scott and Lori, but the fact that they voted for someone no one else cared about is hilarious to me for some reason. Maybe because they blew the Express Pass, which was dumb, and now they pissed Nick and Mike off for no reason and that's dumb too.”) Phil then distributes clues to the teams. They ae now instructed to travel by taxi to Pantai Pandawa and find the gazebo to get their next clue.

Teams arrive at Pantai Pandawa in the following order:

1- Han/Holden

2- Brett/Mark

3- Nick/Mike

4- Carson/Jack

5- Alyssa/Josiah

6- Melinda/Erika

7- Jonathan/Ana

8- Pops/Jeff

9- Scott/Lori

Teams open their clues and we get the fourth Detour Clue.

DETOUR:

Coconuts OR Coral

*Coconuts: Teams make their way to a truck full of coconuts to pick up coconuts and a bike. They must transport 60 coconuts by bicycle to Warung Van Ronden Café on the other side of the beach and stack them properly. Once stacked correctly, the restaurant owner gives them a receipt that they must return to the coconut truck with their bike to get their next clue.

*Coral: Teams make their way to an area on the beach to construct a reef starter consisting of five different types of corals arranged in a specific pattern. Once approved by the marine biologist, teams must swim out and deposit their starter at the bottom of the oceam. When they return, teams get their next clue.

(Toyouke: “Coral seems very easy? It's zip ties, as long as you can swim it's not complicated. I guess I could see picking Coconuts based on the thought that it's straightforward and it's possible Coral is somehow complicated. Or because you assume it must be complicated or else the Detour is unbalanced.”)

1- Brett/Mark choose Coral

2- Carson/Jack choose Coral

3- Han/Holden choose Coconuts

4- Nick/Mike choose Coconuts

5- Jonathan/Ana choose Coral – and then just tie coral to the starter. (Toyouke: “Jonathan and Ana are not very good at the Race. It's season 37. If you see an example and you're not trying to be as identical as possible, then what are you even doing?”)

6- Alyssa/Josiah choose Coconuts

7- Melinda/Erika choose Coconuts

8- Pops/Jeff choose Coconuts

9- Scott/Lori choose Coconuts – (Toyouke: “Doing the physical Detour first to recover = not the worst strategy. Also, how did Scott and Lori do twice as much as everyone else on the first trip? I know they talked about it but I missed how they did it.”)

Much coconut hauling and coral tying ensues. So, teams complete the detour in the following order:

1- Carson/Jack
2- Brett/Mark
3- Alyssa/Josiah

(Jonathan/Ana complete Coral and then U-Turn to Coconuts)

4- Pops/Jeff

(Scott/Lori complete Coconuts and then U-Turn to Coral)

5- Han/Holden

6- Nick/Mike

7- Melinda/Erika

8- Jonathan/Ana – and Jonathan is very much done with the heat. (Toyouke: “Oh, you're done with the sun? Wouldn't it have been a good idea to have an EXPRESS PASS? To avoid the sun? Like you said you wanted when you got the Express Pass IN THE FIRST PLACE??? And don't just leave your trash there what is wrong with you?”)

9- Scott/Lori

Teams are now instructed to take their taxis to Nusa Dua Beach to get their next clue. Teams arrive and get their clues in the following order:

1- Carson/Jack
2- Brett/Mark
3- Alyssa/Josiah

4- Pops/Jeff

5- Han/Holden

6- Nick/Mike

7- Melinda/Erika

8- Jonathan/Ana

9- Scott/Lori

Teams open their clues and come to the fifth roadblock.

ROADBLOCK:
Who wants to meet their match?
In this roadblock, one team member must paddle a surfboard out into the ocean to find a surfer with a decal on their surfboard matching the one on their own surfboard. Once verified on shore as correct, teams will get their next clue.

(Toyouke: “Well, at least they don't have to actually surf.”) The following team members complete the Roadblock.

1- Jack – who immediately starts looking for the surfboard color. (Toyouke: “I mean the clue said "decal" specifically so if you go for color then you're not paying attention.”)
2- Brett
3- Josiah – “My dad used to throw us in the ocean repeatedly until we learned how to swim.” (Toyouke: “Yeah I don't know if "my dad threw us in the ocean repeatedly" is the heartwarming story you think it is.”)

4- Pops

5- Han

6- Mike

7- Erika

8- Jonathan – (Toyouke: “I get that Ana can't/won't go into the ocean, but Jonathan is already in a mood and tired. I mean, you are looking at a big group of surfers asking where to go.”)

9- Scott

After much decal matching, teams complete the Roadblock in the following order:

1- Brett/Mark
2- Carson/Jack – (Toyouke: “I'm not sure Jack and Carson have a strategy, like I think they just seem like they're about to screw up and go home at any minute. Like their success is due to luck and not to being good at anything.”)
3- Alyssa/Josiah

4- Pops/Jeff

5- Han/Holden

6- Nick/Mike

7- Melinda/Erika

8- Jonathan/Ana

9- Scott/Lori

Teams are now instructed to make their way to the Taksu Art Stage, the PIT STOP of the fifth leg of this racearoundtheworld. The last team to arrive WILL be eliminated!

1- Brett/Mark – who win $10000 ($5000 each).

2- Carson/Jack

3- Alyssa/Josiah

4- Pops/Jeff

5- Han/Holden

6- Melinda/Erika – (Toyouke: “That's the second time Melinda and Erika jumped spaces due to not getting lost on the way to the Pit Stop.”)

7- Nick/Mike

8- Jonathan/Ana

9- Scott/Lori – (Toyouke: “I mean...Scott and Lori were a threat. They were good at this. And the U-Turn successfully got rid of a strong team. The only annoying part is that in a regular U-Turn it might not have happened because you'd have to beat them to the mat.”)

And Scott and Lori are eliminated. Scott insists that they brought out the best in each other and are happy with the way they performed.

ORDER NOW:

1st – Brett/Mark

2nd – Carson/Jack

3rd – Alyssa/Josiah

4th – Pops/Jeff

5th – Han/Holden

6th – Melinda/Erika

7th – Nick/Mike

8th – Jonathan/Ana

Next week: We’re off to Dubai! There is skydiving! Camels! Heat exhaustion! And a footrace that is to be seen to be believed! Until next time!