It’s finally here, the last episode of The Amazing Race Season 25! It’s pretty bittersweet for me, because I’ll miss getting to do a recap blog every week, but I’m also looking forward to finding out who won The Amazing Race Season 25! I think it might be Adam & Bethany, because they’ve been doing really well, and they have such an inspirational story/outlook on life. I would really like to see either the surfers or the scientists win, but out of the two teams, I think the surfers have a better chance at winning. This leg of TAR began as it always does, with teams talking about why they should win. The surfers, wrestlers and dentists seem pretty evenly matched, although I think Bethany & Adam have proven they have both brains and brawn, while the wrestlers and the dentists get easily flustered and don’t always think situations through.
Teams must fly to Los Angeles, California, then choose a Ford Explorer and use Ford synch technology to get their next clue. The scientists aren’t greeted with a warm welcome at the airport, with Brooke in particular voicing her frustration. Jim points out to the wrestlers that it’s good to have low hanging fruit (aka Amy & Maya), but Brooke says that she and Robbie don’t do well in mental competitions, whereas the scientists do. The voice control on the Ford Explorer tells teams to bring their manila envelope containing their film permit to the film LA clerk at Downtown City Hall. The wrestlers were following the surfers, but the surfers got off at a turn that the wrestlers missed. The dentists are also lost, despite Jim’s assurance that he was the only one who knew exactly where they were going. The scientists and surfers arrive at City Hall simultaneously, and get their film permits approved. They must now head to Southwest Marine Warehouse and turn over their film permit to receive their next clue. The scientists stopped to ask for directions, allowing Jim & Misti to pass them. Bethany & Adam asked for directions at a firehouse, where the helpful fireman recognized Bethany and said that his daughter is a big fan of her.
Misti & Jim seem to have gotten lost again, as Maya & Amy arrive at the warehouse first and receive their next clue, which is a roadblock. Action Hero requires teams to prepare an action stunt with a stunt coordinator, then pick up a satchel and jump through a glass window out of a three story building. Maya decides to do the roadblock, then the surfers arrive and Adam chooses to do it, while the dentists are asking for directions, and the wrestlers still haven’t reached City Hall. It looks like the wrestlers will be eliminated this leg of the race. Brooke & Robbie are arguing about whose fault it is that they are lost, and then Brooke accuses Robbie of not caring if they win TAR. Maya’s stunt director is very kind, telling her to call him when she wins the million dollars. Maya finishes the roadblock first, and is off to the coastguard base at the end of Terminal Island. The scientists realize that they have to take off their gear midway to the coast guard base, and the surfers pass them as they turn back.
At the coast guard base, the surfers board a coast guard boat to perform a search and rescue mission. Maya takes off her gear while Jim is taking off his gear, but Jim is momentarily unable to find the clue, giving the scientists a brief lead. The surfers rescue their dummy – Oscar – before the other two teams even reach their dummy. The dentists and scientists finish the rescue mission within minutes of each other. Adam & Bethany get their next clue, which instructs them to travel by taxi to ConGlobal Industries to receive their next clue. As the three other teams head to ConGlobal Industries, the wrestlers finally reach the roadblock. Unfortunately for them, Phil arrives before they have a chance to start it. They instantly know what this means; Phil eliminates Brooke & Robbie from TAR. Brooke’s fears about being eliminated this leg of the race are actualized, but she and Robbie seem united (finally).
Adam & Bethany arrive at the second roadblock, only to discover that whoever performed the last roadblock is not allowed to do this one as well. At ConGlobal Industries, there are more than 15,000 shipping containers. A Numbers Game requires teams to find 9 specific containers representing 9 cities they’ve visited during the race. They must memorize the shipping number on each container and write them down in the order in which they visited each city. Each container has three numbers – one in blue, one in orange, and one in lime green. Each contestant has a specific color, and they have to remember the number that corresponds to their color. Can I just say that it seems really unfair that one teammate had to simply jump out of a window, while the other teammate has to basically search for 9 needles in a haystack? Bethany, Amy, and Misti are now fighting for first place. Amy finds all the numbers first, and gets her clue first, which instructs teams to make their way to the finish line at Point Vincent Lighthouse. Bethany gets two of her numbers swapped on the first try, and Misti messes up as well. On her second try, Misti gets the numbers ordered correctly, so she and Jim are off to the finish line. Bethany eventually gets the numbers right, but it is now a competition between the dentists and the scientists for first place.
Amy & Maya, the underdogs, make it to the finish line first and win The Amazing Race Season 25! They are the third all-female team to ever win TAR. I can’t explain how incredibly happy I am for Amy & Maya, I truly think they deserved it. They never gave up, and they beat many incredibly athletic teams along the way. Amy & Maya proved that you don’t have to be an athlete to be strong enough to win The Amazing Race. Misti & Jim came in second place, with Bethany & Adam finishing in third place. I wouldn’t have predicted the outcome of this episode before watching it, but Amy & Maya were consistently strong this entire leg; they brought their A-game for the most important leg of the race, and won it.
What did you think about the final leg of The Amazing Race season 25? Were you surprised that Amy & Maya won? I find it interested that Brooke almost predicted the outcome of the race. She was so worried about Amy & Maya, while Jim basically wrote them off as weak competition. Let me know how you felt about this season of TAR in the comments below. Congratulations once again to this season’s winners of The Amazing Race, Amy & Maya! Now we just have to wait until February for season 26, which features 11 dating couples – but five of them will meet for the first time at the starting line, in the most extreme blind date ever.