A new episode of The Amazing Race airs tonight on CBS. Read a live recap here.
Tonight’s leg sends the teams to Sofia, Bulgaria, where every remaining pair boards the same flight. This route marker is a self-driving leg, and a Double U-Turn is in play—meaning strategy and navigation will matter as much as speed.
On arrival in Bulgaria, teams sprint from the plane to a nearby parking garage, jump into their assigned cars and learn their first destination: the village of Negushevo. Jonathan & Ana arrive at the clue box first and discover they must complete a cooperative task: fill a crate with apples and perform a traditional Kukeri offering. Alyssa & Josiah are hot on their heels and soon become the first team to both start and finish the challenge.
With the apple crate and ritual completed, Jonathan & Ana and Alyssa & Josiah receive their next clue directing them to the Osoitsa Village Library. Brett & Mark arrive shortly after and complete the Kukeri offering, while other teams struggle with the unfamiliar roads—Nick & Mike stop to ask for directions, and Carson & Jack become lost.
At the library Jonathan & Ana find a Detour choice: Haystack or Woodstack. Haystack requires locating a red-and-white adornment hidden in a haystack; Woodstack requires hauling 400 pounds of firewood using a wheelbarrow and a backpack. Alyssa & Josiah arrive next and, like Jonathan & Ana, select Haystack. Brett & Mark opt for Woodstack, where their strength gives them an early advantage.
As teams get to work, tension rises. Jonathan quietly questions the Detour choice, believing Woodstack might have been faster. Alyssa & Josiah quickly find the adornment and pick up their next clue, which sends them to Sarantisi Church and warns of the Double U-Turn ahead. Brett & Mark make a second trip to complete the wood-hauling requirement, while Melinda & Erika and Han & Holden progress through the Kukeri offering and later arrive at the library to begin their Detor choices.
After more searching, Ana locates the adornment and she and Jonathan head to Sarantisi Church, where they and Brett & Mark decide not to use the U-Turn. Trouble hits again when Jonathan & Ana get their car stuck in a ditch. Brett & Mark attempt to help but cannot free the vehicle; local residents come to assist and eventually tow the car free with a rope, allowing Jonathan & Ana to continue.
Back at the Detours, teams spread out: Melinda & Erika settle into Haystack, Han & Holden and Nick & Mike work on Woodstack, and Carson & Jack remain delayed by navigation problems. At Sarantisi Church, Alyssa & Josiah reach the Roadblock at Snezha’s Farm first. The Roadblock requires one racer to milk a sheep—its milk will be used to make traditional Bulgarian yogurt. Alyssa volunteers and completes the milking, then tastes the yogurt before receiving the clue that directs them to the Pit Stop in Elin Pelin.
As the leg unfolds, Brett & Mark arrive at the Roadblock, where Mark handles the milking task, and Jonathan & Ana follow with Ana taking on the dairy Roadblock. Melinda & Erika, Han & Holden and Nick & Mike continue battling their Detours; Carson & Jack finally reach Negushevo and perform the Kukeri offering and later head to the library.
At the Double U-Turn board, Melinda & Erika are first to use the power, choosing to U-Turn Nick & Mike. In response, Nick & Mike U-Turn Han & Holden, forcing both teams to return to the Haystack task before they can continue. This strategic exchange reshuffles the field and puts pressure on those teams already falling behind.
Alyssa & Josiah reach the Pit Stop first. Phil announces them as Team #1 and awards them a trip to Marrakesh, Morocco. Brett & Mark follow to claim second place after completing the Roadblock, and Jonathan & Ana arrive later in third. Han & Holden, who complete their Detour and Roadblock efficiently, check in as Team #4.
Melinda & Erika arrive next after some navigational trouble but manage to finish as Team #5. Carson & Jack complete the Woodstack Detour and the Roadblock to become Team #6, surprised to learn they were not U-Turned despite earlier setbacks. That leaves Nick & Mike at the Haystack location, still searching for the adornment after many hours. With no solution in sight, Phil offers them relief: Nick & Mike are eliminated from the race.
Episode Summary
1st place: Alyssa & Josiah
2nd place: Brett & Mark
3rd place: Jonathan & Ana
4th place: Han & Holden
5th place: Melinda & Erika
6th place: Carson & Jack
Eliminated: Nick & Mike
That wraps up tonight’s episode of The Amazing Race. Thanks for reading this recap—check back next week for another episode breakdown and live recap as the teams continue their journey across the globe.