The Amazing Race 31, Episode 9 Recap

In episode 9 of The Amazing Race season 31 on CBS (April-June 2019), teams departed from the airport in Zurich, SWITZERLAND and flew to Split, a city nestled beside the Adriatic Sea in southern CROATIA. Episode 9 is named “Let’s Split” as a direct quote (and pun) from contestant Colin Guinn, whose fellow team member is Christie Woods. Sorted by chronological order, here were the challenges and happenings encountered by the six remaining teams in this episode (“leg of the race”) of The Amazing Race, UNITED STATES series:

● Departures: Korey & Tyler were allowed to begin this leg of the race first at 4:19 PM (Switzerland’s time zone), followed within several-minute intervals by these teams: Bret & Chris, then Christie & Colin, then Becca & Floyd, then Nicole & Victor, and finally Jamal & Leo.

● Once arriving in Split, Croatia, teams drove to Bačvice Beach. Here, team members became waiters and waitresses — serving beverages to relaxed beachgoers and subsequently receiving a Travelocity® gnome.

● The teams’ gnomes and clues were brought to the Marjan Cave Church. To receive their next clue, teams utilized a pulley system to deliver a gnome and a loaf of bread in a basket to a monk several stories up.

● Detour, choice between “Poetry in Motion” or “Washed in from the Ocean”: Teams choosing Poetry in Motion were definitely in motion — because they had to ride a bumpy, inflated raft towed by a fast boat in the Adriatic Sea. Despite any possible seasickness such a ride could cause, the teams also had to worry about memorizing and reciting a relatively lengthy poem before receiving the next clue. Teams failing to correctly retell the poem to a “poetry master” had to ride the raft again … and again … and again until their recitation was perfect! Believe it or not, all teams eventually decided to take on this task.

The “Washed in from the Ocean” option caused even more difficulties; in fact, no team successfully completed that task! In this Detour, teams snorkeled in the sea with a metal detector in a treasure-hunting quest to find a chalice/goblet and five ancient (although likely imitation ancient) coins. This Detour sounded really enjoyable to me, but I was proven wrong once teams looked “under the surface”! The difficulty of finding these objects — even though they were placed in the sea recently for the purpose of this scavenger hunt — was notable, as most Detours are achievable by at least a couple teams. After many hours attempting this task, Bret & Chris were able to find a goblet and three coins before giving up to complete the poetry Detour. This situation risked the friends’ prospects for continuing The Amazing Race competition; they quickly fell behind their opponents in the race to the Pit Stop.



● Teams visited Diocletian’s Palace — a UNESCO World Heritage Site (↗) designated in 1979 — where the entrance of the spooky catacombs held their next clue.

● Roadblock: One competitor from each duo team sported a royal red robe and went to the Diocletian Palace’s Senator Room. They had to witness the synchronized movements of five Roman gladiators wearing helmets with red ribbons, who were trading places with 13 other gladiators. All gladiators soon held up shields blocking their helmets, so the team member had to correctly identify the five red ribbon-helmeted gladiators before receiving his or her next clue.

●Teams rowed a dinghy boat to a picturesque Pit Stop…

● Pit Stop: Matejuška Pier in Split (teams were greeted by adorable Dalmatian dogs!)

  Season 31, Episode 9
  First and Last Places at the Pit Stop

  1st — Korey Kuhl & Tyler Oakley
       1st place prize — resort vacation in MEXICO

  Last — Bret Hammons & Chris LaBelle
       Eliminated from the competition? Yes
With the elimination of Bret & Chris from The Amazing Race, none of the teams that were previously known for their appearance on CBS Survivor remained in this season of TAR.