Amazing Race Season 22 Finale

After teams traveled to places like Botswana, French Polynesia, Germany, Indonesia, New Zealand, Scotland, Switzerland, and Vietnam, Season 22 of The Amazing Race on CBS came to a close on Sunday, May 6th. Hockey players Anthony and Bates won the coveted $1 million and the title of Amazing Race Season 22 winners!

Part 1 of Final Episode
In the finale episode, teams started out in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Teams went west to Peatlands Park, located in County Armagh. This was the location for a Roadblock, of which a member of each team swam from one end of a marsh to the other and back within four minutes. Since the marsh is surrounded by peat bogs, the event is basically bog snorkeling. Jennifer (whose teammate is Caroline) ran out of time for the first trial and was struggling to finish, but Caroline's motivation kept her going and allowed her to finish at about 3 minutes and 45 seconds. They were last in the episode at this point. Teams then traveled back to Belfast to receive a clue at the Beacon of Hope, a tall steel statue that is comically referred to as the 'Thing with the Ring'. Next, teams encountered the Detour. They could choose Tray It (where teams had to serve a five-course meal to well-dressed diners) or Spray It (where teams would put finishing touches on spray-painted graffiti at a skate park). Only Caroline and Jennifer chose to do Spray It; Bates/Anthony, Max/Katie, and Beth/Mona chose Tray It. Beth and Mona at first had trouble with serving dishes because they were using only the seating chart with dishes listed (there was a larger menu that specified that the first course is oysters, which the seating chart did not list). The Pit Stop was Ulster Hall, and Max/Katie arrived first. They received trips to the DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. Bates/Anthony finished 2nd and Beth/Mona finished 3rd, while Caroline/Jennifer finished fourth and were eliminated.

Part 2
The final three teams then traveled east by ferry for eight hours across the Irish Sea, arriving in Liverpool, UNITED KINGDOM. Afterward, they traveled southeast by rail to London, the United Kingdom's capital for a short stay and a drink at the Euston Tap. The teams then flew back to their homeland of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, particularly to Washington, D.C. They received a clue at the Lincoln Memorial. The clue states that the teams will receive a photo with President Obama at 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, but it turns out that they were getting fake photos taken, with Obama being edited into them. I was probably more disappointed than the contestants were, although Bates and Anthony showed their frustration! For Part 2's Roadblock, a member of each team had to give a sentence or question to 'spies' that were walking by. The correct spy would hand him or her a suitcase with a combination. The contenders had to remember their finishes in the NEW ZEALAND, INDONESIA, and VIETNAM episodes. For example, one combination may be 3-2-1 (3rd place, 2nd place, 1st place). Teams then went to the Washington Nationals baseball stadium: Nationals Park. With a baseball in-hand, one team member would zip line in the air across the stadium and drop the ball to the other team member below (who wore a baseball mascot costume). Teams then proceeded to Hains Point to complete a challenge that was interesting to me: there were many globe balls, and a contender from each team had to find the ones showing the previous destinations they have been in! This challenge proved that geography is important for the contestants competing for $1 million! Bates and Anthony arrived first at the Pit Stop: George Washington's home at Mount Vernon. The hockey players were winners from the start in Part 2 because they held their first place standing throughout the second part of the season finale episode.

PLACINGS in Episode 11 - Finale of Season 22
1st - Bates and Anthony - WINNERS!
2nd - Max and Katie
3rd - Beth and Mona
4th - Caroline and Jennifer - eliminated in 1st round of the 2-hour finale episode