BWW Recap: Noodles and Skates on THE AMAZING RACE

It seems like only yesterday that THE AMAZING RACE premiered its 26th season...and that's probably because it was. Well, it was actually two days ago, but still, you get the point. On Wednesday, teams kicked off their race around the world with a mud run (which, surely, must be harder than it looks, right?) and headed to the airport, where they said goodbye to America, and kon'nichiwa to Tokyo! Some choreography and a million sakes later, teams were faced with their first elimination, and we said an early goodbye to Jeff and Lyda, who were victims of a good, old fashioned Blind U-Turn.

Along the way, we were introduced to what is possibly the most annoying addition to The Race ever: the selfie cam. Look: I'm all for giving teams a camera so that they can photograph the world as they see it while racing. I've always said that not having a camera would be one of the hardest things about The Race for me. But...selfies? Really? It feels like middle school. Maybe it'll get less annoying as the season goes on. Or maybe I'm the only one who finds it annoying. Time will tell.

Watch the show with me tonight at 8:00 PM PT on CBS. You'll get all of my unfiltered, fanatic reactions right here and on Twitter @CourtHenley. (I swear not everything will be about the selfies.)(That'll only be part of it.)

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8:05 : "I hope we're going to one of those coffin hotels," said no one ever. Until just now.

But seriously, I like those little office/bedroom/hotel rooms! Very Japan. Designed with the busy businessman in mind.

They're going to Nagano? It's almost like someone knew that there was a team of winter Olympians on this season...

8:08 : Glad Bergen and Kurt acknowledged they look alike. Everyone was thinkin' it.

8:12 : If you gave me that box to open, I'd be one of those teams that Phil has to come and find because they're still working on a challenge after everyone else has already checked in on the mat.

8:14 : And THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is why I don't like the stupid selfie thing they're doing this year. Libby and CJ just missed the train BECAUSE THEY WERE TAKING A SELFIE. I hope that video was worth a million dollars, because that may be how much that just cost you. Even if they survive tonight's elimination, by making a stupid mistake like that, they're proving that they're not going to make it very far. You idiots!

8:21 : Ah, the Share challenge. I'm sensing some Lady and the Tramp-like outcomes here.

Or maybe it'll be less majestic. That's cool, too. Actually, who am I kidding, that's way cooler and way funnier.

8:24 : I get the whole not cheering someone on thing. I know I definitely feel more stressed if I have somebody yelling at me, even if they're encouraging words.

8:26 : But wait...seriously? Isn't that one girl an Olympic speed skater? Shouldn't that be an unfair advantage? I think that should be an unfair advantage. She literally has done this professionally.

And him - he's an Olympic bobsledder! He pushes large objects containing people on ice for a living! Are you kidding?!

Don't blame those hockey skates. You still have a huge leg up on the other teams. No reason to complain at. All.

8:30 : But in other news, I'm really happy Jelani and Jenny came in first place again. I like them. They're fun.

Oh hey, isn't it kind of early for teams to start checking in? We're only half way through. I wonder who messes up!

8:37 : I'm not sure what I would've picked given the Share or Chair option. Share seems easier, but chair seems like more fun. Eh, I still probably would've gone with share. You are in a race, after all.

Wait, this noodle thing is actually hilarious. It's like watching a very discombobulated pie eating contest. Or I guess in this case, a noodle eating contest. Which it basically is. Right.

8:43 : Never did I think two people would have that much trouble eating pasta. Bergen and Kurt may have eaten slowly but really, can someone coin the term Noodle Nazi please? Like the Soup Nazi, but with more alliteration.

OH NO, an injury!!

8:48 : And so begins the dilemma: should you stay or should you go?

"It's not you, it's me." Except, said in a context which I did not expect given the nature of this season's Race.

That being said, I think switching's a good idea, guys. You don't really need to worry about an injury when eating noodles. Or do you?!

(Also, I'm just going to ignore that "Date Night" card because it's silly.)

8:53 : Ah, a classic "Who's gonna finish first?!" montage.

Except, we all know that the team that finishes the challenge first in the montage always stays, even if they seem to be having transportation issues. Let's see if that holds true tonight, too.

8:55 : Ooh, break dancing on the mat! Good for Hayley and Blair, I like them, too. I'm happy they stayed.

Let's all appreciate my foresight in predicting Libby and CJ's Race failure. Poor guys? Kind of. I feel like if they stuck around they would've gotten annoying. But they tried! And in the end, that's what matters...right? I mean, the million bucks helps, but still. They tried.

8:59 : Ooooh, Thailand! That sounds awesome! And...wait...is that zip lining I see?! If there's one thing you need to know about me, it's that I love me a good zip line. I hunted one down when I went on vacation to California a few years ago. It's a little pathetic, actually. Consider me excited.

Which challenge would you have completed: Share, or Chair? What did you think of this week's elimination? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter @CourtHenley!

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