By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
The 30th season of the American Race on CBS had a huge sports flavor. Almost half of the starting 11 teams were involved in sports in some way.
The teams were Team IndyCar featured two IndyCar drivers, including former Indianapolis 500 winner Alexander Rossi and Conor Daly. Team Slam Dunk had former NBA players Shawn Marion and Cedric Ceballos. Team Chomp featured Major League Eating’s Joey Chestnut and Tim “Eater X” Janus.
Team RingGirls featured Ring Girls Dessie Mitcheson and Kayla Fitzgerald. Finally, the last sports-related team featured Team Extreme, including former skiers Kristi Leskinen and Jen Hudak.
The show began with the team’s starting in Washington Square Park in New York City. The teams had to have one member find a clue in the fountain in the park, where they found out they were flying to Iceland.
It’s official! The #AmazingRace has begun 👏 pic.twitter.com/FzmBthYeZ8
— The Amazing Race (@AmazingRaceCBS) January 4, 2018
They had to then pick up an Icelandic flag after doing a high-wire act. Alex and Conor were the first sports team to get to the high-wire act after arriving in the country.
Alex did the high-wire act for his team, while Ceballos and Marion were the fourth team to arrive, then Ceballos did the high-wire act. Leskinen and Hudak were the fifth team to do the high-wire act, as Hudak was the member, who participated on her team.
After doing the high-wire act, the teams had to go on a course — with water splashing in their face — to find different numbers, which then had to then put in order. Conor struggled for the IndyCar team after his first pass trying to figure out the numbers.
As the IndyCar teams were doing this, it showed that Leskinen and Hudak were the first-place team, who won a trip for being the first team to the mat. Rossi and Daly then left the puzzle as the fifth-place team.
Like Daly before him, Marion also struggled with the puzzle. Even with the 39-year-old struggling, Chestnut and Janus were sixth to leave, then Mitcheson and Fitzgerald were the seventh to leave.
Rossi and Daly finished the episode as the fifth-place team. It went back to Marion and Ceballos, as Marion, who has had teammates with five different NBA teams, was trying to help the 10th place team with the puzzle.
After helping her, he then said, “That’s exactly as hers.” He then realized he was missing the O’s in the puzzle.
Ceballos and Marion were then the last team to leave the puzzle. Then, leaving the puzzle, the two got into an argument after struggling to figure out roads.
Chestnut and Janus were the sixth overall team to finish the day. Ceballos and Marion were eighth, but Race Master Phil Keoghan ruled that they cheated.
He said that they had to wait 30 minutes, then gave Eric and Daniel Guiffreda the eighth position because Ceballos told Marion not to forget the O’s and the P’s.
After waiting the entire 30 minutes, Ceballos and Marion barely made the ninth position. Seconds later, two teams followed to the mat. Mitcheson and Fitzgerald were then eliminated, as they lost to the tenth-place team by just feet.
You could basically said that the Ring Girls were knocked out on the mat.
WOW! That has to be the closest finish EVER #AmazingRace even closer than the end of #TAR2
— Phil Keoghan (@PhilKeoghan) January 4, 2018
1 team down, 10 left in the #AmazingRace. On to the next destination ✈ pic.twitter.com/OKzGd3BVlG
— The Amazing Race (@AmazingRaceCBS) January 4, 2018
