The Amazing Race Recap — Cartagena to Plaza Bolívar

A new episode of The Amazing Race aired tonight on CBS. Below is a live recap of the leg that brought teams from the airport in Cartagena to the mud volcano at Totumo and on to the Pit Stop at Plaza Bolívar.

The winners of the previous leg, Dana and Matt, departed first and discovered the teams’ next destination: Cartagena, Colombia, with an immediate task at the Totumo mud volcano. Along the way, viewers learned more about the contestants: Dana and Matt are engaged but focused on their businesses before marriage; Zach is uncomfortable without his phone while Rachel embraces the phone-free experience; and Darius and Cameron impressed by quickly solving Rubik’s Cubes.

At the airport, Dana and Matt, Tyler and Korey, and Brodie and Kurt secured seats on the first flight. Most other teams boarded the second flight, while Marty and Hagan were placed on the third. Despite arriving early at the airport, Darius and Cameron ended up on the fourth and final flight to Cartagena, putting them at an immediate disadvantage.

Upon arrival in Cartagena, the front-flight teams made their way to Totumo and discovered a Roadblock: one member must wade into the mud inside the volcano to find a satchel with an emerald. After locating the gem, the contestant must surface and hand it to a person in the ocean who will point toward the hidden clue box offshore. Brodie completed the Roadblock quickly for his team, reached the ocean, and received the clue directing them to the next destination: Manzanillo del Mar. Dana attempted the Roadblock afterward but misidentified a pink stone as an emerald and had to search again. Other teams arriving at the Roadblock included Burnie and Ashley, Tyler and Korey, Blair and Joslyn, and more—each sending one teammate into the muck to search for the emerald.

Once teams retrieved their emeralds, they learned about the Detour: Pop-Up or Parrilla. Pop-Up required building a shaded canopy and getting local musicians to play inside it; Parrilla required grilling fish and preparing a meal for locals. The leading teams initially chose Pop-Up, while several other teams opted for Parrilla or switched between tasks after setbacks. Mistakes in constructing canopies sent Dana and Matt and Zach and Rachel back to rebuild, and several teams struggled on the grilling task—losing fish heads, dropping fish on the ground, or being told the meal wasn’t prepared correctly.

Scott and Blair faced a Speed Bump they had to complete before continuing: pulling in a fishing net with local fishermen. Hagan and Cameron both had slow starts in the Roadblock, giving other teams a chance to pull ahead. At one point, Marty and Hagan made the unusual decision to run to the Detour location instead of taking a taxi like the other teams, which backfired and cost them valuable time.

Tyler and Korey executed their tasks cleanly, completed the Pop-Up Detour correctly, and were first to the Pit Stop at Plaza Bolívar. Their strong performance earned them the leg win and a prize trip to St. Thomas. Brodie and Kurt followed as Team #2, with Burnie and Ashley arriving in third. Dana and Matt recovered to finish fourth after completing their Detour. Erin and Joslyn, Zach and Rachel, Brittany and Jessica, and Sheri and Cole rounded out the middle of the pack, each overcoming challenges at either the Roadblock or Detour.

As the leg reached its conclusion, Darius and Cameron managed to recover from their late flight placement and battled through the Parrilla Detour to reach the mat in tenth. Marty and Hagan, meanwhile, arrived last. Despite finishing their tasks, their earlier travel choices left them too far behind; Phil announced that Marty and Hagan were the last team to check in and were eliminated from the race.

Episode Summary

1st place: Tyler and Korey (prize: trip to St. Thomas)

2nd place: Brodie and Kurt

3rd place: Burnie and Ashley

4th place: Dana and Matt

5th place: Erin and Joslyn

6th place: Zach and Rachel

7th place: Brittany and Jessica

8th place: Sheri and Cole

9th place: Scott and Blair

10th place: Darius and Cameron

11th place: Marty and Hagan (eliminated)

That concludes this episode’s recap from Totumo to Plaza Bolívar. Share your thoughts in the comments and check back for the next episode recap as the race continues to unfold.