‘The Amazing Race 26’ episode 5 review: Learn to drive a stick, people!

There are some things that almost every team on “The Amazing Race” should know before coming on, and knowing how to drive a stick has to be somewhere on the top of the list. If you are a pair coming on, there is really no excuse for it. We like Mike & Rochelle a lot, but seriously, guys? Even if you are a blind date team, you don’t know what your partner is going to know, so we suggest renting a standard and getting one of your buddies to teach you.

It’s kind of funny, though, that this episode was a giant commercial for a Ford Focus, and really the entire outcome of it came down to a feature that many people are not particularly fond of: Transmission. Kurt & Bergen didn’t know how to do it, and rather than keep trying, they took a two-hour penalty that put them so far behind that it was impossible to catch up. At least Team Truck Stop gave it more of a try, and thanks to that were able to stay in the race. There wasn’t a whole lot of drama with the outcome this time.

Since the finish was fairly boring, we did have to find some of our entertainment elsewhere. Specifically, we are talking about the increasing possibility that Blair & Hayley are going to drive each other so insane that one of them will be institutionalized by the end of the season. Somehow, they are able to continue doing well in the race despite not being able to stand one another. (Speaking of which, we’re not sure Kurt & Bergen are going to be spending much time talking based on their conversations at the end!)

Based on the first-place finish, Aly & Steve are the new favorites to win. Laura & Tyler and Jeff & Jackie are also strong. We love Team Truck Stop, but they are probably going to need a few miracles to outlast the rest of the competition now. Grade: B (mostly for the hot mess factor).

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