text: In Abu Dhabi, married ER doctors Nicole & Travis used their Express Pass, U-Turned Leo & Jamal for lying, and won the leg, while baseball wives Nicky & Kim couldn’t overcome a Speed Bump and U-Turn.
  
  U-TURN WORRIES
  
  Departing the Pit Stop in first place at 7:10am, cousins Leo & Jamal ripped open their clue, instructing them to use the satchel of Viking coins they picked up in Norway to decipher a code that would unlock a Ford Explorer with EcoBoost. They had to figure out that the symbols on their coins needed to be placed in the order they appeared stenciled on the satchel and then turn the coins over to reveal a five- digit sequence that would open their SUV. Running into a garage on Pit Row of the Yaz Viceroy Formula One track, the cousins emptied the coins from their satchel and quickly arranged them in the proper order that gave them the code, 01479, to unlock their Ford Explorer. Now driving to Al Khatim North on the E22 towards Boudthib Endurance Village, where they would find a 4x4 vehicle with their next clue, the cousins worried about the U-Turn that would appear somewhere in the leg. Leo said, “We have to stay ahead of the pack. A lot of the teams are gunning for us.” With second place dating couple Jason & Amy becoming lost right from the start of their drive, third place married ER doctors Nicole & Travis felt confident because they still had their Express Pass that they had to use in this leg. When Nicole & Travis pulled up behind Leo & Jamal on the freeway, the married ER doctors already considered the idea of U-Turning the cousins because according to Travis, “We just don’t like the way they’ve run the Race with the lying.” In their Explorer, the cousins rationalized that Nicole & Travis shouldn’t bother using their U-Turn on them because Leo & Jamal didn’t have a U-Turn to retaliate. Leo & Jamal used theirs in leg 5 on childhood friends Adam & Brandon. For the cousins, their goal was simply to stay ahead of everyone and get to the U-Turn board first.
  
  NINJA BUNNIES
  
  Beginning their leg in last place nine minutes behind Ally & Ashley, baseball wives Nicky & Kim (who faced an upcoming Speed Bump) caught up immediately in the garage, where the NHL ice crew members struggled to figure out the Viking coin code. Knowing she and Kim needed to race more aggressively this leg, Nicky said, “We’re not bunnies anymore. We’re ninjas.” Nicky & Kim put this new attitude into action when they pulled up behind a slow and lost Ally & Ashley on the freeway and passed right by them. However, that move made Ally & Ashley much more comfortable, because they could now follow the baseball wives and keep them in their sights.
  
  SPEED RACERS
  
  Arriving at Al Khatim North, Leo & Jamal and Nicole & Travis spotted a row of dune buggies lined up alongside the E22. The teams would have to pick a vehicle and drive it along the flagged route into the desert for their next clue in the dunes. With Jamal and Travis at the wheel, the two teams squared off in an off-road battle that started with Travis in the lead until Jamal made a move to pass the married ER doctors. Driving up and down the dunes, taking sharp curves, the two teams cheered with delight over their desert escapade. As Leo & Jamal cruised to a palm tree where they spotted the cluebox, Nicole & Travis got stuck in the sand trying to drive over a tall dune. The cousins ripped open their clue, instructing them to return to their Ford Explorer and drive to the Al Ain Oasis to find a date palm with their clue hanging high above. Wondering what became of their competitors, Leo & Jamal drove past the stranded Nicole & Travis, who had to put their vehicle in reverse to gain more momentum before tackling the dune again. As the cousins drove off laughing about Nicole & Travis, the married ER doctors finally reached the cluebox and returned to their Explorer just as dating couple Jason & Amy arrived.
  
  SPINNING THEIR WHEELS
  
  With Jason & Amy and exes Tim & Marie getting their clue in the dunes minutes apart, baseball wives Nicky & Kim had a miniscule lead over NHL ice crew members Ally & Ashley as they jumped in dune buggies. Showing some hesitation about how to approach a large dune, Nicky started the climb, but soon the buggy came to a complete stop. Nicky tried flooring the gas pedal, but that only made things worse as sand flew everywhere and sunk the wheels even deeper. While the baseball wives tried to dig their buggy out, southern California resident Ally showed off the skills she learned driving on Pismo Dunes, powering right past Nicky & Kim. Ashley squealed, “I have a racecar driver as a partner!” In no time, Ally & Ashley had their clue and returned to their Explorer while Kim’s efforts to extricate her and Nicky’s vehicle resulted in a burnt out clutch. Now alone in last place, the baseball wives got a new vehicle and finally got their clue, acknowledging that they probably wouldn’t be driving dune buggies anytime soon.
  
  PAYBACK FOR LYING
  
  Because cousins Leo & Jamal couldn’t find the correct entrance to the Al Ain Oasis, married ER doctors Nicole & Travis found their clue hanging high atop a date tree in first place. After a local man climbed the tree to retrieve the clue, Nicole & Travis opened it to find a Detour having the choice of Wedding Guests or Beauty Contest. Wedding Guests required teams to prepare a traditional ceremonial dish. First they had to collect the ingredients, then prepare them according to the recipe, and deliver them to the cooking station. When the chef felt it was made to order, they had to serve it up to the wedding guests to receive their next clue. Beauty Contest required teams to follow a set of scoring guidelines to identify a prize-winning camel, dress it in Arab finery, and present their beauty to a panel of judges. If they came up with a winner, they would be rewarded with their next clue. As Leo & Jamal found Al Ain Oasis, Nicole & Travis drove to Al Jahili Fort, the site for both Detour choices. Without a moment of hesitation, the married ER doctors presented their Express Pass in exchange for their next clue, instructing them to search on foot for Al Jahili Tower. Looking around the courtyard of the fort, Nicole spotted a tower in one of the corners and she and Travis took off running up the stairs to find a Double U-Turn. The married ER doctors barely flinched as they plastered Leo & Jamal’s picture on the board. Nicole & Travis referenced their conversation with Leo & Jamal at the train station in Warsaw, where the cousins lied about U-Turning Brandon & Adam. Based on that lie, Nicole called the decision to U-Turn Leo & Jamal “quite easy.” Ripping open their next clue, Nicole & Travis now had to drive to Wadi Adventure.
  
  A WEDDING FEAST
  
  In second place, cousins Leo & Jamal ran to a secluded area of Al Jahili Fort just off of the main courtyard to begin preparing a traditional ceremonial wedding dish. Using Leo’s experience as a restaurant owner, the cousins believed they would excel at the task and finish quickly. Collecting the ingredients that included onions, garlic gloves, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, and chicken, the cousins got to work chopping and dicing at their cooking station, starting to worry because they didn’t see any other teams. With no view of the camel beauty contest from where they prepped the meal, the cousins incorrectly assumed Nicole & Travis were there and hoped the married ER doctors wouldn’t U-Turn them.
  
  A WILD RIDE
  
  Pulling into Wadi Adventure in first place, Nicole & Travis took note of the sign advertising rafting, kayaking, and surfing. Ripping open the clue, the married ER doctors discovered a Roadblock. In it, one team member had to navigate the world’s largest man-made rapids. Balancing on a raft, they had to collect three different colored flags hanging above the wild water course. Once they collected all three flags, their guide would hand them the next clue. Putting on a helmet and life vest and grabbing a paddle, Nicole jumped into a raft with a guide and began navigating down the Class 4 rapids. Needing to concentrate on collecting flags above her head, Nicole instead could only focus on paddling to keep her raft from spinning in circles against the strong current. Approaching a line of red flags strung across the water, Nicole jumped up in the raft, but she narrowly missed grabbing one as she fell back down. After missing the green flag too, she said, “I’m not tall enough.” On her second try around the course, Nicole timed her jump to snag a red flag along with a black one, but she once again missed the green flag. On her third attempt, Nicole put all her energy and focus into a leap that netted the green flag and almost bounced her out of the raft when she fell down. Travis later commented on how proud he was of Nicole’s performance on the rapids. Ripping open their clue, the married ER doctors now had to drive to the Pit Stop at Jabel Hafeet.
  
  BEAUTY QUEENS
  
  Arriving at the fort in third place, exes Tim & Marie walked over to a herd of camels, prepared to pick the fairest one of all. Referring to an informative guide that listed the criteria of an award-winning camel, the exes searched for one with the appropriate back length, height, and proper rounded hump shape. In addition, they looked for a specific nose and ear shape, size and straightness of legs, whiskers, and spacing between the toes. Marie quickly dismissed some candidates when she saw busted up knees and toes, but Tim noticed one strutting around he thought fit the bill perfectly. Convincing Marie of the camel’s perfect hump and neck length, Tim said of his potential prized beauty, “He knows he’s hot.” Leading their camel over to the dressing area, Tim & Marie began the intensive beauty preparation that all pageant contestants must undergo to win a crown. However, while beauty contests are notoriously competitive, most entrants wouldn’t kick their stylist in the shin like the camel did to Tim when he tried placing a silk wrap over its hump. Now a little more cautious in approaching the animal, Tim draped the wrap over the camel on the second attempt and tied a colorful muzzle around its mouth, while Marie brushed the mane running down its back and neck. With the beauty regimen completed, exes Tim & Marie led their camel down the sandy catwalk, allowing the animal to strut its stuff for the judges. Unfortunately, their camel didn’t pass the test with the panel of judges who deemed the camel’s head too small. As Tim & Marie searched for and prepped a second camel, dating couple Jason & Amy arrived at the fort in fourth place. Former Miss Rhode Island USA Amy felt incredibly qualified to judge the beauty of camels, later saying, “It brought me back to my pageant days.” She and Jason found one right away that had sufficient ear firmness, long eyelashes, and a nice hump. However, what the dating couple hadn’t taken into consideration was congeniality, a prize their camel would never win. After being dressed up for its big moment in the spotlight, the camel defiantly sat down in the dirt instead of strutting on the catwalk. All Jason could do was laugh when he and Amy now had to find a new camel, one with a brighter personality to match its beauty.
  
  THE INVISIBLE TOWER
  
  After successfully grooming and leading their second camel to the judges, exes Tim & Marie searched all around the fort for Al Jahili Tower, but they couldn’t find it. The exes stumbled upon cousins Leo & Jamal, who continued their extensive meal prep by chopping onions. By asking the cousins if they found the tower, Marie inadvertently tipped them off that she and Tim finished the camel beauty contest, prompting the Afghanimals to ditch the cooking and switch tasks. Wanting to walk outside and look at the front of the fort for a different vantage point, Tim & Marie still didn’t see the tower and disagreed on what to do next. Marie still felt the tower had to be near or inside the fort, while Tim thought they should take their bags from the car and run off in search of it. In a rare occurrence, Tim won out while Marie still expressed reservations, saying, “I don’t want to do what we normally do and run 45 minutes in the wrong direction.” Eventually Tim & Marie ran through the streets of Al Ain, over half a mile away from the fort, when dating couple Jason & Amy, who found a less temperamental camel on the second try and also found the tower, spotted the exes from their vehicle as they drove off. Finally, Marie stopped in a market and asked a local man, who told her that the tower was located within the fort.
  
  WINNERS AND LOSERS
  
  As Tim & Marie hurried back to Al Jahili Fort, cousins Leo & Jamal dressed up their camel and strutted it for the judges to earn their clue. Running up to the tower, the Afghanimals were surprised to see that Nicole & Travis had U-Turned them. As he ran back to the cooking station with Leo, Jamal muttered, “Losers.” Jamal later added, “It gives us that much more determination to finish strong.” As Leo cut carrots and Jamal grated cinnamon, the cousins said, “People obviously feel like we’re the biggest threat.” While Leo & Jamal toiled away in the kitchen, Nicole & Travis, the team who U- Turned them, celebrated coming in first place at Jabel Hafeet. For winning the leg, the married ER doctors each won their choice of any vehicle in Ford’s lineup with an EcoBoost engine. On their decision to U-Turn, Nicole said, “It was basically our way of saying we are running this Race in an honest way and you guys should be doing the same.” Returning to the fort and immediately seeing the giant tower they missed earlier, Marie wasted no time shouting at Tim over his mistake. As she ran up the tower steps she yelled, “I could punch you in the face right now!” Walking up to the U-Turn board, Marie seized control of the team and suggested U-Turning Nicky & Kim to give them a cushion after Tim’s colossal blunder. Putting the baseball wives’ picture on the board, Marie cited the “stunt at the airport” in Sao Paolo where Nicky & Kim got on the early flight to Lisbon at the expense of Tim & Marie.
  
  GAINING GROUND
  
  Finally arriving at Al Jahili Fort together in last place, Nicky & Kim and Ally & Ashley both opted to scout for a camel beauty, but the baseball wives quickly changed their minds because they didn’t want to rely on cooperation from an animal. Running to the cooking stations, Nicky & Kim saw the Afghanimals, who lied to the baseball wives, telling them they just arrived fifteen minutes ago and were almost done. However, once the baseball wives started chopping vegetables and gutting chicken they realized Leo & Jamal had stretched the truth. NHL ice crew members Ally & Ashley benefitted tremendously by the Double U- Turn as they jumped ahead of Leo & Jamal and Nicky & Kim into fourth place after sending their sexy camel down the runway. However, that lead was incredibly short lived when the NHL ice crew members approached a roundabout and realized they had been driving in the entirely wrong direction. Not able to read the map and unable to understand road signs, Ally & Ashley began to grow increasingly frustrated until they finally stopped to ask a group of local men how to get to Wadi Adventure. The time Ally & Ashley squandered driving around lost proved costly as both the Afghanimals and baseball wives (who called Tim & Marie “mean”) completed their U-Turns and began their drive to Wadi Adventure as well.
  
  WAVING GOODBYE
  
  With Jason & Amy and Tim & Marie finishing the leg in second and third place respectively, cousins Leo & Jamal arrived at Wadi Adventure in fourth place just ahead of Ally & Ashley. While Jamal and Ashley braved the rapids, last place Nicky & Kim made it to the adventure waterpark and faced their Speed Bump. In it, the baseball wives had to quickly make their way across a wave-generating pool that created a six-foot wave every 90 seconds. If they avoided wiping out and made it up the ladder on the other side, they could continue racing. Putting on life jackets, Nicky & Kim initially anticipated a quick completion of the Speed Bump until they saw how far down they had to jump into the pool. With Kim’s fear of heights beginning to take grip, she starting crying as she sat on the wall with Nicky, watching the waves crashing far below. Leading by example, Nicky took the plunge into the pool first, alleviating Kim’s fears enough to jump right after her friend. The baseball wives made it halfway across the pool before the first wave hit, lifting and sending them downstream away from the ladder. As Jamal got his third and final flag at the rapids, Nicky & Kim reached the ladder on the far side of the pool. Climbing the rope ladder first, Nicky only made it up a few rungs before the next wave ripped her off, propelling her and Kim further away from their goal. By the time Ashley grabbed her last flag of the Roadblock, an exhausted Nicky & Kim exerted all their strength to successfully climb the ladder and finish the Speed Bump. There would be no grand comeback for the ninja bunnies Nicky & Kim. After Leo & Jamal claimed fourth place followed by Ally & Ashley in fifth place, the baseball wives arrived at Jabel Hafeet in last place, where Phil officially eliminated them from The Amazing Race. On the experience, Kim commented, “I faced so many fears. It makes me feel like I can do anything.” She added, “I feel so blessed to have had this experience with my best friend. There’s no regrets. I feel really thankful for this opportunity.”
  
  2308 ROUTE MARKERS
  
  Roadblock: A Roadblock is a task that only one team member can perform. In this Roadblock, that person had to navigate the world’s largest manmade rapids. Balancing on a raft, they had to collect three different colored flags hanging above the wild water course. Once they collected all three flags, their guide would hand them their next clue.
  
  Performed Roadblock: Nicole, Jason, Tim, Jamal, Ashley, Nicky
  
  Detour: A Detour is a choice between two tasks. In this Detour, teams had the choice of Wedding Guests or Beauty Contest. Wedding Guests required teams to prepare a traditional ceremonial dish. First they had to collect the ingredients, then prepare them according to the recipe and deliver them to the cooking station. When the chef felt it was made to order, they had to serve it up to the wedding guests to receive their next clue. Beauty Contest required teams to follow a set of scoring guidelines to identify a prize-winning camel, dress it in Arab finery, and present their beauty to a panel of judges. If they came up with a winner, they would be rewarded with their next clue.
  
  Double U-Turn: A U-Turn is an opportunity for one team to slow down another team by making them perform both sides of the Detour. Nicole/Travis U-Turned Leo/Jamal. Tim/Marie U-Turned Nicky/Kim
  
  Speed Bump: For coming in last place in the previous leg, Nicky & Kim had to perform an extra task. In this Speed Bump, the baseball wives had to quickly make their way across a wave-generating pool that created a six-foot wave every 90 seconds. If they avoided wiping out and made it up the ladder on the other side, they could continue racing.