The Amazing Race 31, Episode 8 Recap

In episode 8 of The Amazing Race season 31 on CBS (April-June 2019), teams remained in the rural countryside of SWITZERLAND and drove to Ballenberg Community Hall in the municipality of Hofstetten bei Brienz. Entitled “You’re the Apple in my Eye” as a direct quote from contestant Korey Kuhl, this episode originally aired on Wednesday, June 5th, 2019 in the United States. Sorted by chronological order, here were the challenges and happenings encountered by teams in this episode:

● U-Turn: In the spirit of democracy in Switzerland, The Amazing Race conducted a rare U-Turn election, in which teams voted for another team to complete both Detour tasks. A typical Double U-Turn consists of a slotted sign placed in any point of an episode in which teams would have the ability to U-Turn a team. Like any U-Turn throughout the show, U-Turned teams did not get to choose only one Detour but had to complete both options. Three teams voted to U-Turn Christie and Colin: Becca/Floyd, Jamal/Leo, and Elissa/Rachel. Two teams voted to U-Turn Elissa and Rachel: Bret/Chris and Christine/Colin. Nicole/Victor elected to U-Turn Jamal/Leo, and Korey/Tyler elected to U-Turn Nicole/Victor.

● Speed Bump: Because Nicole and Victor were not eliminated after finishing last place in episode 7, they stayed in Ballenberg Community Hall and properly folded 26 flags of Switzerland’s cantons before continuing with episode 8’s itinerary.

● Detour, choice between “Make Hay” (Haymaking) or “Cow Festival” (Cow Dressing): Teams choosing the Make Hay option decided between cutting a row of grass — not by using a handy lawn mower but by using a scythe — or raking the cut grass. Becca/Floyd, Bret/Chris, Leo/Jamal, and Korey/Tyler chose this task; to receive their next clue, they had to stack the cut grass to dry as a haystack. Teams choosing the Cow Festival crafted a floral headpiece and attempted to settle this headpiece on a cow’s head. Nicole/Victor chose this task, while Christie/Colin and Elissa/Rachel initially accomplished this task … then had to complete the Make Hay task as well due to being U-Turned earlier.

● Roadblock: Driving about 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) west of Hofstetten bei Brienz to a nearby community named Schwanden bei Brienz, teams chose a teammate to shoot a crossbow arrow to an apple on a scarecrow’s head — harkening back to the folk-story heroism of William Tell — before receiving the next clue. Teams had to avoid striking their fragile scarecrow to avoid having to reassemble it.

● Teams drove to Lake Brienz and rode in a motorboat to a pier on another shoreline of the lake. They then chose between walking or riding a funicular to a historic and lakeside Pit Stop…

● Pit Stop: Grandhotel Giessbach, near the Giessbach Falls

  Season 31, Episode 8
  First and Last Places at the Pit Stop

  1st — Korey Kuhl & Tyler Oakley
       1st place prize — seven-night river cruise along the Mekong River
       (CAMBODIA and VIETNAM sections)

  Last — Elissa Slater & Rachel Reilly-Villegas
       Eliminated from the competition? Yes