‘The Amazing Race 22’ review: Goats, tickets, and so many mistakes

Is this quite possibly the worst group of racers in “The Amazing Race” history? We’re starting to think so.. Just in this leg alone, we had one team get ridiculously lost, two teams get stopped for speeding, the first-place winner declare that they are largely followers, and two teams struggle mightily at the Roadblock. Every team in the leg managed to at least do one thing wrong; not only that, but we now have Max coming close to John (of Jessica & John) for the worst performance by a team member ever in a post-Zach & Flo era.

The competition stayed in Africa this week, which was certainly nice when it came to scenery. Plus, the wildlife was so beautiful that it almost felt like one of those Discovery documentaries. (The baby goats may be the cutest thing ever.)

Team placement

1. Bates & Anthony – Okay, so was this probably the lamest “Amazing Race” leg in history? These guys just had to really drive to a location, waterski (which is probably not as easy as it looks, granted), and then drive some more to win the leg. Thank goodness for Fast Forwards! We still don’t know if these two are winners, but they are in a good spot for the time being.

2. Mona & Beth – This is how terrible the teams’ performances were: the roller derby moms squabbled and struggled during the roadblock, but they still managed to pass a few teams and get second place for the leg.

3. Caroline & Jennifer – The country singers’ run was even more improbable: they managed to start off the race stuck nearly in last after they were caught speeding, and then had to rely on some random guy to actually bring them the right currency at the police station. They should just be lucky that they performed the task well, since that mattered here more than anything else.

4. Chuck & Wynona – Yes, Team Mullet somehow survived again! Luckily, their only mistake was just that they were a little slow in doing everything, but they didn’t make any catastrophic mistakes and therefore survived until the end. So long as they keep this up, they could actually survive for a bit longer.

5. Joey & Meghan – These two were understandably shocked that they were in fifth, mostly because they probably would still be lost out there in Africa if they hadn’t spotted Max & Katie on the road. They did a pretty good job from there, though, so maybe they have some momentum.

6. Max & Katie – This is the crazy thing about Max’s no-good, very bad leg. He managed to get angry, get a speeding ticket, nearly wreck his car, and struggle with the roadblock, and he and his wife are STILL in this race. Phil Keoghan must be doing a facepalm right now.

7. Pam & Winnie – Wow. These two to their credit actually didn’t mess up at all before the Detour, but in spite of being so smart, they failed terribly when it came to both choices. They could finish the task that Chuck & Wynona mastered, and ultimately it seems like they gave up on the other choice, pulling donkey carts, too soon. So the race is now without another strong team, and one we had ironically ranked first going into this leg.

What did you think about this episode, and are you starting to this this really is the worst group of racers ever? If you want to see where we ranked the teams before the show, you can do so over here.

Photo: CBS