The Amazing Race season 31, episode 8, “You’re the Apple in My Eye” started out with seven couples in Switzerland where there is a public double U-turned by other racers, which made for one U-turned couple’s dramatic comeback to top 3 and another’s elimination. Season 31 is made up of an all-star cast of contestants from previous seasons of The Amazing Race or other reality shows such as Big Brother and Survivor.
Last week, Nicole and her Fiancé Victor (Big Brother) were last to arrive, luckily for them it turned out to be a non-elimination round, which meant a speedbump was in store for them this week. The host, Phil Keoghan, said that there will be no more non-elimination legs for the duration of the race, the heat is turned all the way up for the remainder of the season.
The episode starts with the teams in Switzerland, where they are surprised with the first ever public U-turn vote, a nod to Switzerland being the oldest democracy. This public double U-turn meant that racers have to vote in front of each other. Colin & Christie (The Amazing Race) and Rachel & Elissa (Big Brother) are the two teams that end up being U-turned, which means that they have to go back and complete both detour challenges instead of just the one. The detour challenges are to create a headdress of flowers on a cow for a Swiss cow festival and to cut grass with a scythe while the teammate follows behind with a rake.
Nicole & Victor’s speedbump is to fold the 26 flags representing the 26 states of Switzerland. All of the teams catch up with each other and it’s a close finish. They finish a crossbow hitting an apple challenge and head to the mat to meet Phil. The first ones there are Tyler & Korey (The Amazing Race), second place is Chris & Brett (Survivor), and the third place is one of the couples that was U-turned in the beginning, Colin & Christie! The former Amazing Race couple managed to claw their way back into the game as top three. The last couple to make it to the mat were the U-turned sisters, Rachel and Elissa, who were eliminated from the race.
This is a game changer in the race, as this being the first public U-turn vote, the couples were able to see who voted for who, creating tensions with the couples that voted for them. And with the news of no more non-elimination rounds, there is no room for error. Will the former Amazing Racers’ travel experience put them above the rest? Will the former Survivors outwit, outplay and outlast the competition? Or, will the Big Brother players’ ability to adapt put them on top?
More: Survivor: The 5 Best Players From Season 38 (& The 5 Worst)
Watch all-new episodes of The Amazing Race on Wednesdays at 8/7c on CBS
