A new episode of The Amazing Race aired tonight on CBS. Below is a live recap of the leg set in Guatapé, Colombia, where teams faced a steep climb, a Detour choice between local cuisine and vehicle loading, and a Roadblock involving coffee processing.
At the start of the leg, Rod & Leticia, Ricky & Cesar, and Derek & Shelisa were first to begin. All teams had already reached Guatapé by the opening of the episode and were directed to climb more than 700 steps to the summit of El Peñón de Guatapé to retrieve their next clue. Ricky & Cesar reached the top first and learned they faced a Detour: choose Bandeja Paisa or Yipao. Bandeja Paisa required preparing three plates of the traditional Colombian platter, while Yipao challenged teams to load a Jeep with furniture.
The early leaders all picked the cooking task. Amber & Vinny, Juan & Shane, and Angie & Danny left in the second group and also chose Bandeja Paisa. Teams were split into water taxis to reach their Detour locations. Sunny & Bizzy, Anthony & Bailey, and several others departed in the third group. During transit, Sunny received a phone call informing her that her grandmother had passed away the previous night. The episode also highlighted Shelisa’s cancer-survivor story and Juan’s emotional connection to Colombia, where he lived before moving to the United States.
Back on land, the front-of-pack teams began the Bandeja Paisa challenge. Michelle & Sean initially tried the cooking Detour but decided to switch to Yipao after descending El Peñón. Mechanical problems eventually slowed Angie & Danny’s water taxi, letting Sunny & Bizzy and Kishori & Karishma move ahead. Ricky & Cesar were the first team to finish their Detour and received a clue directing them to El Cordero de Guatapé.
Some teams formed informal alliances to find the cooking location. Kishori & Karishma—who don’t eat meat—expressed concern about identifying ingredients and asked Derek & Shelisa for help. Several teams flipped between Detours as the difficulty of each option became clear: Anthony & Bailey and Michelle & Sean both tested Yipao before deciding to return to or join the Bandeja Paisa task, while Sunny & Bizzy ultimately switched from Yipao to cooking.
At the cooking site, teams struggled with plating and technique. Rod & Leticia had to rework their presentation, but Derek & Shelisa passed and moved on to the next location. Juan & Shane completed the Detour and resumed the race. Meanwhile, the Yipao teams—Anthony & Bailey and Michelle & Sean among them—found the Jeep-loading task physically demanding and time-consuming, with several teams repeatedly considering a switch.
After finishing the Detour, Ricky & Cesar discovered a Roadblock: one team member must harvest and process one kilogram of Arabica coffee beans. Cesar took on the Roadblock. Other racers rotated through the tasks at the coffee farm: Leticia, Sunny, Vinny, Melissa, Kishori, Amber, and others all took a turn. Vinny completed his Roadblock quickly, helping Amber & Vinny move into second place.
Ricky & Cesar completed the Roadblock and checked in at the Pit Stop, Casa Loma Finca Cafetera. Host Phil Keoghan announced they were Team #1 and awarded them Expedia OneKeyCash for a trip to Cape Town, South Africa. Derek & Shelisa arrived next and were Team #3. A cluster of teams reached the mat together: Juan & Shane in fourth, Rod & Leticia in fifth, Yvonne & Melissa in sixth, Sunny & Bizzy in seventh, and Kishori & Karishma in eighth.
Late in the leg, Michelle & Sean hesitated at the steep, slippery descent to the Roadblock. Sean initially refused to descend, but with Michelle’s encouragement they both made it down and Michelle completed the coffee-processing task. Angie & Danny also finished the Roadblock after Angie persevered despite pressure and nerves. Anthony & Bailey arrived with Anthony choosing the Roadblock, and they completed it as well.
Ultimately, Michelle & Sean checked in as Team #10. Anthony & Bailey arrived later and faced elimination. Phil informed them they had been eliminated from the race. The pair reflected on the experience and cherished the extra time they’d had together during the competition.
Episode Summary
1st place: Ricky & Cesar
2nd place: Amber & Vinny
3rd place: Derek & Shelisa
4th place: Juan & Shane
5th place: Rod & Leticia
6th place: Yvonne & Melissa
7th place: Sunny & Bizzy
8th place: Kishori & Karishma
9th place: Angie & Danny
10th place: Michelle & Sean
Eliminated: Anthony & Bailey
That concludes tonight’s episode of The Amazing Race from Guatapé. Thanks for reading this live recap—check back next week for another episode summary and updates from the race.