We're Letting Race Brain Win is the eighth episode of The Amazing Race 37.
Story[]
At Elin Pelin, Alyssa & Josiah receive their first clue. The must drive themselves to Lake Ariana at Borisova Gradina in Sofia. However, they are also given an opportunity to retrieve the Express Pass by driving themselves to Fabrica 126 in Sofia. Having a decent lead over the other teams and believing it'd be strategically advantageous, Alyssa & Josiah decide to go for the Express Pass. They are hoping to win the competition to pay off thousands of dollars in student loan debt and to start a family.
Brett & Mark leave next and decide to skip the Express Pass knowing how much of lead Alyssa & Josiah have over them and decide to focus more on getting first this leg. Jonathan & Ana also decide to forego the Express Pass, with Jonathan being particularly disappointed and believing their bad luck from the previous leg is still active. Alyssa & Josiah arrive at Fabrica, where they discover they must walk over a strip of hot coals to win the Express Pass. Though Alyssa is excited, Josiah doesn't like dealing with hot objects and isn't looking forward to it. After watching a demonstration, Alyssa does it first and keeps her composure to avoid spooking Josiah. Josiah keeps telling himself he's on the beach as he successfully completes it. After burning their feet, they receive the Express Pass, which is valid up until the 10th leg of the race, and head back to compete.
Han & Holden leave over an hour behind the other teams. As they head to Lake Ariana, they reflect on how they didn't spend much time in the last seven years due to Han going to college and Holden going to military school and want to improve their relationship. Melinda & Erika leave twenty minutes later, planning to continue their steady pace to remain in the competition. Brett & Mark arrive at Lake Ariana first, and are instructed to take part in the Eastern Orthodox tradition of Jordan Day by retrieving a golden crucifix thrown by a priest into the lake. After stripping down to their swim trunks and retrieving the cross, they are instructed to a provided address at Russian Monument Square and search for a marked klek shop, a traditional Bulgarian store built into the basement of a building, where they will receive a clue from the store's owner, Mira. Additionally teams cannot take a taxi and must race the rest of the leg on foot or by bus. Not knowing what the local bus schedule is like, the Vegas performers choose to run.
Carson & Jack are the last team to leave Elin Pelin hours behind the other teams. Despite the rough circumstances, the gamers still believe they'll pull through the leg with the "power of delusion." Alyssa & Josiah are the second to arrive at Lake Ariana, and have fun with the other performers before receiving their next clue. Jonathan & Ana complete the same task shortly afterwards. Unlike the other teams, they didn't strip down as they danced with the performers before receiving the cross. Erika & Melinda begin to fall behind after missing some crucial turns on their way to Lake Ariana. They stop and ask a nearby resident to correct their navigation and adjust their directions. Brett & Mark arrive at Russian Monument Square. Not knowing what a klek shop is, they ask a nearby flower store owner, who directs them to the lower klek shop near him. They meet Mira and receive their clue from her, instructing them to go to St. Kliment Ohridski Central Library at Sofia University. Seeing that its on the route, they decide to hop on a bus to their next destination, knowing they have the lead.
Alyssa & Josiah mistake the building next to the klek shop as the entrance given it has the number before they find the right door and decide to run to their next place. Jonathan & Ana pass by the klek shop multiple times and circle the street before figuring it out. Brett & Mark arrive at the library, where they receive a Route Info task instructing them to use a provided cypher to translate two pages of text from Cyrillic to English. Once they have recited the properly translated text to the librarian, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word," they will receive their next clue. The Vegas performers are confused upon seeing the Cyrillic language and how they're supposed to use the cypher to translate it. Meanwhile, Han & Holden arrive at Lake Ariana and perform the Jordan Day task. At the library, Mark figures out how to translate to English on the cypher by flipping it on its back.
Melinda & Erika arrive at Lake Ariana to retrieve the cross, with Melinda finding the tradition similar to her husband's Greek Orthodox customs. After retrieving the clue, Erika misreads it and believes they must travel by taxi for the rest of the leg, and the mother-daughter duo get a taxi to head to Russian Monument Square, unintentionally penalizing themselves. Brett & Mark successfully complete the cypher challenge and receive the clue from the librarian just as Alyssa & Josiah arrive. The Vegas performers are then instructed to head to the Museum of Socialist Art and search the museum's sculpture garden. Thanks to some tips from some locals, Brett & Mark decide to take the metro to the garden. Meanwhile, Alyssa & Josiah get stuck on the translating challenge, believing they need to find a book on the shelf to help with the translation. Han & Holden are able to find the klek shop right away and get their next clue. Jonathan & Ana arrive at the library, where they find a stressed Josiah & Alyssa and offer to work together if need be. Carson & Jack complete the Lake Ariana challenge, where Jack reflects on his gay background and becoming friends with Carson.
On the bus, Carson & Jack surprisingly meet up with the judge from the Woodstack challenge in the previous leg, who helps them understand what a klek shop is. At the library, while Alyssa & Josiah continue to struggle with the task and consider using their Express Pass, Jonathan flips the cypher over and he and Ana get to work on translating it. At the Russian Monument Square, Melinda & Erika bicker over the klek shop's location, particularly with the address number, which Melinda ends up being right about. After passing it multiple times, they finally find the marked shop. They go into another taxi, where Erika ironically brags about how good she is at reading clues. As Jonathan & Ana complete the cypher clue, Alyssa & Josiah begin to break down over the translation. After the librarian approves them, Jonathan helps the other team by instructing them to flip the cypher over. Both married teams begin to head to the Museum, with Alyssa & Josiah being extremely grateful for Jonathan's help.
Han & Holden arrive at the library, where Holden tries to get Han not to work by herself. Brett & Mark make it to the museum and find their clue at the sculpture garden, which tells them to go to the Central Military Club. They get tips from a local coffee shop owner to take the metro over there. Melinda & Erika arrive at the library and offer to work with the stumped Han & Holden. Carson & Jack pass by the klek shop a few times before getting their clue from Mira. Jonathan & Ana end up getting off the bus at the wrong point thanks to a bad tip, allowing Alyssa & Josiah to make it to the sculpture garden second. Brett & Mark arrive at the Central Military Club and come across a Roadblock. One team member will wear a traditional Bulgarian costume, then learn and perform the horo, a Bulgarian folk dance with a troupe of dancers to the judge’s satisfaction. Mark chooses to take it on, being experienced with routine dances.
Panic sets in for Melinda & Erika and Han & Holden as Carson & Jack arrive at the library. The gamers are quickly able to figure out the English translation on the back, and despite their attempt to hide it, Holden catches them and informs Han about it. After Melinda & Erika leave the room, the siblings tell the gamers they'll work together with them behind the mother and daughter's back, having not told them how to translate the cypher. Erika tries reading simple letters they thought the wording was to the librarian and is rejected. While Mark learns the horo, Jonathan & Ana arrive at the sculpture garden, where Jonathan is disheartened to see Alyssa & Josiah beat them there. Mark is able to pick up the routine quickly and nails the dance on his first attempt, allowing him and Brett to receive the last clue of the leg. They are instructed to head to the Pit Stop, St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.
As the Vegas performers have a new routine to share back home on their way to the Pit Stop, Alyssa & Josiah arrive at the Central Military Club, with Josiah volunteering for the task. At the library, Han & Holden translate the cypher successfully. After Carson & Jack also succeed, the siblings decide to tell Melinda & Erika to flip the cypher, which the gamers think isn't a good move with all three of them in the back. The gamers and siblings decide to go together to the next clue knowing one team is behind them. As Josiah trains for the dance, Jonathan & Ana arrive, with Ana agreeing to take on the Roadblock. Josiah's first attempt at the dance fails as he's slightly off-beat. Melinda & Erika complete the cypher translation and are baffled a Bible verse might end their game before taking another taxi. Ana messes up her first attempt as well, performing one of the routines out of order.
Brett & Mark arrive at St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, where they are greeted by Phil and a group of bagpipe players. They are happy to learn they came first and won $7,500 each, but plan not to let up because of it. Josiah successfully completes the dance on his third attempt, with Ana following suit shortly afterwards. Carson & Jack and Han & Holden arrive at the museum together, but are confused on where the sculpture garden is, passing a large star indicating its location. The gamers stop to ask for directions while the siblings run on ahead. Thanks to the help, the gamers locate the next clue to pick up more of a lead and leave Han & Holden behind on the metro. After wandering for minutes, the siblings ask a nearby local for directions to locate the sculpture garden and their next clue, and they agree not to let their "race brain" mess them up. Melinda & Erika arrive minutes later to get the last clue at the sculpture garden.
At the Central Military Club, Carson encourages Jack to take on the Roadblock, believing it'd be a history-related challenge, only to find that it's a dance-related challenge that would have been more appropriate for Carson since he's a trained dancer. The siblings arrive minutes later, with Holden choosing to do it. Melinda & Erika struggle to get a taxi on a busier street, but believe they still have a shot of staying in the race as they take one to the Central Military Club. Alyssa & Josiah arrive in second place to the Pit Stop, with Jonathan & Ana joining them in third immediately afterwards. Josiah is glad they have the Express Pass for security in the next few legs. Melinda & Erika arrive at the Roadblock, with Melinda agreeing to do it. Jack messes up the dance on his first attempt and goes back to practice again. His second attempt goes smoother, allowing him and Carson to leave. Holden similarly screws up on the first dance but gets it right on the second. Despite being the last team at the Roadblock, Melinda manages to get the dance correct on the first try, leaving all three teams racing to the cathedral.
Carson & Jack ecstatically arrive in fourth place at the Pit Stop, with Phil telling them it was one of the best comebacks in the show's history given how they started the day hours behind everyone. In a close race to the finish, Han & Holden end the day at fifth place, with Holden acknowledging they need to break bad habits in future legs.
Melinda & Erika are the last team to arrive to the Pit Stop. Before revealing their placement, Phil tells them to reread their earlier clue, where they discover Erika had misread the leg's rule about taking taxis. The mother-daughter duo are eliminated, with Erika expressing pride in her mother being able to keep up with the race's physically demanding tasks for so long, while Melinda is grateful she got to spend so much time with her daughter as the two have been so busy in their personal lives.
Route Markers[]
The order of departure from the Town Square of Elin Pelin are as follows:
- Alyssa & Josiah (7:34 am)
- Brett & Mark (8:10 am)
- Jonathan & Ana (8:33 am)
- Han & Holden (9:47 am)
- Melinda & Erika (10:06 am)
- Carson & Jack (11:15 am)
Teams must drive themselves to Lake Ariana at Borisova Gradina in Sofia, where they would find their next clue. In addition, teams are given an opportunity to retrieve the Express Pass by driving themselves to Fabrica 126 in Sofia, where they must take part in a Nestinarstvo ritual of walking over hot coals. Alyssa & Josiah won the Express Pass.
Teams must take part in the Eastern Orthodox tradition of Jordan Day by retrieving a golden crucifix thrown by a priest into the lake. Once they have retrieved the crucifix, they may exchange it with the priest for their next clue.
Teams must make their way on foot or by bus to a provided address at Russian Monument Square and search for a marked klek shop, a traditional Bulgarian store built into the basement of a building. Once they have found the shop, the shopkeeper would give teams their next clue.
Teams must make their way on foot or by bus to St. Kliment Ohridski Central Library at Sofia University, where they would find their next clue.
Teams must use a provided cypher to translate two pages of text from Cyrillic to English. Once they have recited the properly translated text to the librarian, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word", he would give teams their next clue.
Teams must make their way on foot or by bus to the Museum of Socialist Art and search the museum's sculpture garden for their next clue.
Teams must make their way on foot or by bus to the Central Military Club, where they would find their next clue.
"Who wants to step back in time?"
The team member assigned to this Roadblock must don a traditional Bulgarian costume, then learn and perform the horo, a Bulgarian folk dance with a troupe of dancers to the judge’s satisfaction. Once the judge is satisfied with their performance, he would give teams their next clue.
The Roadblock performers per team are underlined:
Teams must make their way on foot to St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral to check in.
For coming in first place, Brett & Mark won $7,500 each.
Leaderboard[]
First Place • Eliminated • Last placer on a Non-Elimination Leg or continue racing on a No-Rest Leg • Season winner • Season 2nd place • Season 3rd place • ► Used the Fast Forward• ϵ Used the Express Pass• ⊂ User of the first Double U-Turn slot • ⊃ Recipient of the first Double U-Turn slot • ⋐ User of the second Double U-Turn slot • ⋑ Recipient of the second Double U-Turn slot• ∇ Team that lost the Double Battle
Brett & Mark
Married Vegas Performers |
Alyssa & Josiah
Married Nurses |
Jonathan & Ana
Married |
Carson & Jack
Best Friends/Gamers |
Han & Holden
Siblings |
Melinda & Erika
Mother/Daughter |
Trivia[]
- Incidentally, Carson & Jack ran into the judge from the Woodstack Detour in the previous leg while on a trolleybus in Sofia.
- With Melinda & Erika's elimination, all of the all-female teams have been eliminated.
- The episode title is said by Holden Nguyen.
References[]
| The Amazing Race 37 Episodes |
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"Double the Stakes, Double the Eliminations" · "Very Strong Warrior Energy" · "Chaotic, Crazy, That's What We're Used to" · "There's No Addresses in the Jungle" · "It's Not Personal, It's Business" · "It Smells Like the Desert" · "Be One With the Hay" · "We're Letting Race Brain Win" · "The Pizza de Résistance" · "Up the River Without a Joust" · "My Knight in Shining Armor" · "We're in Miami Baby!" |