BWW Recap: You Better Love That Lederhosen on THE AMAZING RACE

If you need reminding as to what happened on the last episode of THE AMAZING RACE, don't worry, you're not alone. It's been a while since these dynamic daredevils have graced our TV screens. After racing through Bangkok, Bergen and Kurt came in first place, and poor Harley and Jonathan were eliminated. And there were cats. There were a lot of cats. This week, teams are traveling from Asia to Europe as they join Germany - specifically, Bavaria - in preparing for Oktoberfest.

This should be interesting.

After arriving first at the last leg, Bergen and Kurt leave first this time. We get it: you two don't like each other. If you've said it once, you've said it a million times. I know it can be difficult to travel around the world with someone you can't stand, but enough. And sorry, Hayley and Blair, we're over you, too. You're pretty lousy. Or at least, Hayley is. I still feel bad for Blair. Jeff and Jackie: you two, on the other hand, have a lovely relationship. Keep it up.

As it turns out, this leg kicks off with another one of the Race's Great Equalizers: every team is on the same plane. Looks like the producers want to land in Bavaria with an even playing field. Personally, I like it when this happens. Not just from the mindset of a future Racer (it'll happen!!), but as a viewer. No one can complain about unfair advantages. You're all even. It's down to skill...and luck.

The teams waste no time diving into German culture as they make their way to a clothing store and change into traditional lederhosen. And then they're let loose in the city, to run around and try and find their Race marked cars, which will take them to their next stop. If that's not awesome, I don't know what is.

Alert! Alert! We have a potentially fatal mistake on our hands! Laura and Tyler, in the confusion that occurred after they decided to switch cars, left their fanny pack in the back seat - and they haven't realized it! Let's see how this turns out.

Aha - Jeff and Jackie have now taken the car and have found the fanny pack! I repeat: Jeff and Jackie have found the fanny pack! But what are they going to do with it? Will they return it and start collecting good karma, or will they hide it and play dirty? Maybe they can have a chat about it after they stop fighting with each other. That upsets me a bit. They were getting along so well! It's still soon, though. Maybe things will turn around for them.

Teams start arriving at the warehouse, where they are faced with their first challenge of this leg: they have to drive their car (a stick shift) in reverse (reverse!) through an obstacle course while piecing together a word puzzle. I'm stressed just thinking about this challenge. I'd run over one of those reindeer so fast it's not even funny. Sorry, Rudolph, you'd be flat as a pancake if I were driving.

As it turns out, many teams feel the same way. After all, how many of you know how to drive a stick?! Yeah, that's what I thought. One team, though, is feeling particularly frustrated: that's right, you guessed it - Bergen and Kurt. Despite the fact that Bergen was starting to get the hang of driving, Kurt decided that they should pull over, leave the car behind, take a taxi to the challenge, and just accept a penalty. Little do they know that they need the car to complete the challenge.

Meanwhile, Mike and Rochelle are lost and confused, wandering - in full lederhosen - all across the area begging for directions.

Fortunately for the other teams, the driving-in-reverse challenge isn't proving to be all that difficult (unless, of course, you're the carless Bergen and Kurt). Aly and Steve finish first, and as Laura and Tyler wait for their old car to arrive with their fanny packs, they learn what the rest of us already knew: Hayley is nuts. She literally hasn't stopped yelling at Blair since they left the mat in the first episode. Somebody please figure out a way to make her stop arguing!

Aly and Steve finish the car obstacle course first, and are the first to arrive at the Detour: they must select either Stein or Stack. Teams who choose Stein must carry armfulls of beer successfully around a crowded Oktoberfest hall without spilling a drop. Any former waiters and waitresses will fly right through this challenge. Stack requires teams to stack a tower of fifteen empty beer crates, with one partner on the ground and one climbing on top of the tower so as to stack the next box. Aly and Steve (wisely) choose Stein and finish it on the first try. Good for them.

Not every decision made in tonight's episode was as easy, though. When Jeff and Jackie finally make it to the car challenge, they can't decide between lying about the fanny pack and giving it back to Laura and Tyler, so they evade all questions asked about said fanny pack instead. Clever. Eventually, Laura and Tyler find their missing pack and head to the next stop with everyone else.

Except for Bergen and Kurt, who are still waiting out their penalty.

And now, it's everyone's favorite part of the show: the Road Block! This Road Block requires one member from each team to serenade (or woo as Phil evidently loves to call it) their partner with a traditional German song. This challenge has possibly the best catch ever, though: if the singing partner messes up, they get a bucket of water dumped onto their heads! This Road Block is literally perfect. And hilarious. Perfectly hilarious.

Oh, and don't forget: Mike and Rochelle are still lost and wandering around Germany in lederhosen.

Aly and Steve fly through the Road Block with no major problems, and they head off to the Pit Stop. Not everyone is having that kind of luck, though. Hayley and Blair decide to change Detours since they (and by "they," I mean just Hayley) can't seem to figure out how to carry a few beer steins at one time. They head over to Stack, where they join Jeff and Jackie, Jelani and Jenny, and Laura and Tyler, all of whom are trying - and failing repeatedly - to successfully build their gigantic beer crate fortress - sorry, tower.

Aly and Steve arrive first at the Pit Stop, followed shortly by Matt and Ashley. Side note: Matt and Ashley had one of the most adorable serenades ever. Good for them and their second place victories.

Mike and Rochelle are awesomely laughing through their problems. They're lost and way behind, but still laughing.

Now, I'd like, if I may, to take you on a strange journey (did I get Rocky Horror songs stuck in your head now? Good.): the Journey of Mike and Rochelle. They deserve a little bit of recognition. They had a very, very difficult time navigating their way to the warehouse for the obstacle course challenge. They fell way behind as a result, and for a while, it looked like they were the team who was going to be eliminated at the end of this leg. Despite all of that, they both had smiles on their faces the entire time, and they never - not once - gave up or showed any signs of slowing down. They persevered through obstacles, and, most importantly, retained their ability to laugh at themselves. Because let's face it: even if you are facing elimination, running around lost in Germany dressed in lederhosen is still pretty hilarious.

But I digress. Mike and Rochelle do eventually make it to the warehouse, and as luck would have it, Bergen and Kurt still have more than forty minutes left in their penalty! Looks like they may have a shot after all! They complete the course and choose Stack for their Detour.

As all of that was happening, all of the teams at Stack (namely, Jeff and Jackie, Jelani and Jenny, Laura and Tyler, and Hayley and Blair) slowly finish their stacks and successfully complete the challenge. Finally, Bergen and Kurt's penalty expires, and they're free to get to the next challenge. Without a car. Somehow. Or maybe not. We'll see.

Back at the Road Block, everyone stinks at singing. Except...maybe...Jackie? I can't really decide. Each team messes up part of the song on their first try, but finishes successfully the second time around and receives their clue to the Pit Stop. The only exception? Blair. I know, I was surprised at first, too! I guess, though, when you have someone as irritating as Hayley for a partner, you're going to make darn sure you get that song right after one try. You're not getting water dumped on you while trying to woo someone you can't stand. Talk about adding insult to injury.

Most teams are now on their way to the Pit Stop. Jeff and Jackie arrive in third place, followed right behind by Jelani and Jenny, Hayley and Blair, and Laura and Tyler. Rochelle still struggles to overcome her fear of heights at the Stack challenge, but eventually conquers the empty beer crates and makes it to the Pit Stop with Mike.

And now, for the moment I've been waiting for with bated breath since Bergen and Kurt decided to accept the penalty: Phil does the dreaded "Nah, you wait there- I'm gonna come to you" Pit Stop elimination. This is one of my favorite Race traditions - assuming the team deserves to be eliminated, that is. Bergen and Kurt sure as anything deserve it, though. They're frustrating in their passiveness. Well, at least Kurt is. Bergen wanted to play his heart out, but he got paired with a richy-rich partner who couldn't care less about the Race itself. Who comes on the Race for true love, anyway? Go on The Bachelor if you're looking for that. Poor Bergen.

What were your thoughts on the latest episode of THE AMAZING RACE? Share your comments below or discuss them with me on Twitter @CourtHenley, and come hang out with me right here next week as I live recap the show!

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