The Amazing Race 30 Episode 11-12: FINALE

Another 2-hr episode for this season's finale.

Photo: tvline

In leg 11, the final 4 teams raced from Thailand to Hong Kong International Airport. It was a neck-to-neck race between the teams. Since last week was a non-elimination leg, Team Yale needed to their Speed Bump first before continuing the race with the other teams, while the other 3 teams were hoping that Team Yale would give them the time cushion they needed to proceed to the finale.

But no such luck there. Team Yale was very motivated to finish the Speed Bump quickly and the fact that Henry could speak Mandarin gave them an edge from the rest of the team.

Team Yale went to Victoria Peak – Lions Pavilion for their Speed Bump Challenge. Upon arriving there, the other 3 teams had their picture taken overlooking the Hong Kong skyline where they would find their next clue printed on the photograph.

In this challenge, Henry & Evan had to place candles into 40 hung paper lanterns before they could continue racing. It was a breezy task for Team Yale. They finished it quickly which allowed them to catch up with the rest of the teams in the Detour Task.

Detour: Hairy Crab or Grub Grab

In Hairy Crab, teams had to properly wrap and pack 50 live hairy crabs in a basket, while subjected to simulated typhoon conditions, to receive their next clue.

Team BigBrother in their Detour Task
Photo: HollywoodLife

Team Big Brother & Team Extreme were the ones who did this challenge. They had a difficult time finishing this task which was why the other teams were able to zoomed past them

In Grub Grab, one team member had to take 8 restaurant orders in Cantonese, then relay it to their partner in the kitchen, who had to figure out the corresponding dishes, which were labeled phonetically. Once all the patrons were served correctly, they received their next clue.

This may sound difficult since the orders they needed to hear weren't English words. But if they're attentive enough, this task can be done quickly. Team IndyCar and Team Yale did this task which helped them move ahead of the other teams in the other detour.

After finishing the Detour Task, teams proceeded to Central Pier #4 for the Roadblock Challenge. 

In this Roadblock, one team member had to suit up in protective equipment and smash a pile of old electronics with a baseball bat to find two containing half of a clue. Once the clue was complete, they then splattered a gallon of paint over the pile to create a work of "rage art". Meanwhile, the non-participating team member was handcuffed to a briefcase.

Henry of Team Yale and Conor of Team IndyCar did a pretty good job in doing this task. Cody of Team BigBrother as usual did as fast as he could. Kristi of Team Extreme was the only who had a hard time with the Roadblock Challenge. She kept beating the old TV until it worn her out. Good thing she was able to do it after re-reading the clue and proceeded to Lan Kwai Fong for their next task.

After completing the Roadblock, teams had to search the streets of Lan Kwai Fong for three signs depicting things seen in previous legs of the Race, and left them to recall the numbers of the legs where those things were seen (the Washington Square Arch from Leg 1, a fez hat from Leg 3, and a bull from Leg 5). These corresponded to the combination to open the briefcase still handcuffed to the wrist of the team member who did not perform the Roadblock. The correct order of numbers was different for each briefcase. Inside the briefcase was the key to the handcuffs and the location of the Pit Stop.

Team IndyCar
Photo: EW

This was very confusing for the teams because the place is considered to be the center of nightlife in Hong Kong. The symbols that they needed to search in the area were also very random and hard to find. Team Yale were able to find all of it faster than the others while Team BigBrother and Team Extreme were neck to neck. Team IndyCar was having a hard time though.

In the end, the pitstop for this leg was at the Intersection of Johnston Road and Wan Chai Road.

FINISHERS:

1. Henry & Evan (Team Yale)

2. Cody & Jessica (Team BigBrother)

3. Kristi & Jen (Team Extreme)

4. Alex & Conor (Team IndyCar) - ELIMINATED

Too bad Team IndyCar didn't make it to the Final 3. They weren't able to finish their last task. It took them a really long time to find the symbols in the busy street of Hong Kong. It was disappointing because I kind of like them already.

Moving on to Leg 12 - the final leg - Team Yale learned that the race wasn't over. In fact, the race to $1,000,000 was next. So from Hong Kong International Airport, all teams went straight to San Francisco International Airport for the final leg of this season.

Once there, all teams went straight to AT&T Park – "Say Hey Kid" Statue to find their next clue, leaving them to figure out that this was a reference to the statue of former San Francisco Giants player Willie Mays outside AT&T Park.

At AT&T Park, teams had to paddle kayaks around McCovey Cove and find three numbered baseballs corresponding to the digits in the number of career home runs hit by Willie Mays, leaving them to figure out the correct number (which is 660), while Giants mascot Lou Seal threw more balls into the water from the ballpark. Once they had the correct numbers, they would receive their next clue from an umpire.

Team Extreme did the smart thing by asking people about it while Team BigBrother & Team Yale rushed towards the kayak and tried to figure it out from there. Unfortunately, both teams needed to go back to ask the people's help since they couldn't figure out the answer.

After that task, all teams went to their Roadblock Challenge at San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge.

In this Roadblock Challenge, one team member had to use jumars to pull themselves up 200 feet (61 m) to the top of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge center anchorage. They then had to enter the structure and put on a harness and covered with bright lights before free falling from a plank to receive their next clue.

Evan of Team Yale had a hardest time of doing this task considering that she was up against 2 stronger teams. The challenge was definitely built for Cody of Team BigBrother as he zoomed past the 2 women. Kristi of Team Extreme was closely behind him.

The clue received from the first Roadblock was a rebus that left teams to figure out they had to travel to the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company. There, they had to properly make 102 fortune cookies, 51 per team member. Once approved, they received a giant fortune cookie to break open for their next clue.

Team Extreme did fairly well here. Team BigBrother struggled as well as Team Yale.

After that all teams were instructed to go to Alameda (USS Hornet) but before they could do that, they needed to do the final task for this season. Phil warned the teams that they will be facing “the season’s most difficult test of both physical endurance and mental strength.” 

For the final task, teams had to choose a fuselage of a large model airplane on the flight deck, then search the entire aircraft carrier for twelve parts of matching color (two propellers, four wings, four horizontal stabilizers, and two vertical stabilizers) with which to complete the model. Each part had different pictures depicting something encountered on a leg of the race. After finding all twelve parts, the team member who did not perform the Roadblock had to assemble the airplane with the correct combination of six parts (one propeller, two wings, two horizontal stabilizers, and one vertical stabilizer) that would fit correctly on the fuselage and represent all 12 legs without duplication. Once approved, the team member had to push the airplane to their partner, and the team could proceed to the Finish Line at the opposite end of the flight deck.

The trick though was that there were only 6 necessary pieces, and 12 parts they have to find. All of the pieces have at least 2 different symbols on them, representing each of the 12 legs from this season. When the plane is fully assembled, the six correct pieces will display all 12 symbols with no duplicates.

This was a very challenging task. Jessica of Team BigBrother, Jen of Team Extreme and Henry of Team Yale did this final task for their teams. Tensions were rising as each teams tried their best to finish first. Henry of Team Yale were able to complete it first but didn't ask for a check instead he switched it with another symbol. That was pretty hard to take considering that it could have been their chance to move forward. It was neck-to-neck for all teams but in the end only 1 team won the million dollars.

FINAL RANKING:

1. Cody & Jessica (Team BigBrother) - $1,000,000

2. Henry & Evan (Team Yale)

3. Kristi & Jen (Team Extreme)

Team BigBrother winner of The Amazing Race 30
Photo: BuddyTV

AFTERTHOUGHT:

I wasn't expecting for Team IndyCar to be eliminated in Leg 11 considering that they were doing a great job from the beginning of the leg. They didn't pay attention enough to the last task which ultimately led to their elimination. It was disappointing because I like them. To be honest, I didn't at first but then as the race continued week after week, they were pretty much a good team. Team Extreme - I really thought another all-female team will this season. They have what it takes and they were very consistent all throughout. It was tough to see them struggling though. Team Yale - my dark horse - I'm actually rooting for them because I don't think anyone else do or maybe just a few. I don't know why. They may be a bit aloof compared to the other teams but they're tough to beat as well. The odds were against them in Leg 11 but they remained strong all the way to the finish line. If Henry didn't make that mistake, they would have won this season.

As for Team BigBrother, they are probably my least favorite team this season. I like Cody but I'm not really into Jessica. I'm sure she's a great girl but I'm just not feeling her in this race. But of course, they're a very strong team. They made better decisions in the last couple of legs and they did what they have to do to win it. Personally, I think this leg was built for a team like them. A combination of brains and muscles. I know Team Extreme are strong women but Cody's a cyborg. I don't know if Team IndyCar would have made a huge difference if they were part of the final 3, but for sure, it would have been an exciting race to the finish line.

CONGRATS TO TEAM BIGBROTHER FOR WINNING THE AMAZING RACE 30!

Hopefully, this is not the end for this reality show. I do want them to continue. It's one of my favorite reality shows of all time.