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The Amazing Race S32: E10 Recap, E11 Preview

By Tiff Wells

The Amazing Race. A 33,000-mile trek around the world for a $1-millon grand prize starts in Los Angeles at The Hollywood Bowl. One of 11 teams for Season 32 is a pair of Punahou School alums, brothers Riley (’07) and Maddison (’09) McKibbin. The professional volleyball players on the AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals), more commonly known as “The Beard Brothers,” are easily spotted throughout this season by the yellow shirts and beanies they wear. We’ve gone to Trinidad & Tobago…to Colombia…to Brazil…to Paraguay…to France…to Germany…to Kazakhstan…to India. Now we’re headed to Cambodia. Five teams remain. Season 32 of The Amazing Race airs each Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. on KGMB. We here at ESPN Honolulu will follow their journey throughout the race with a Wednesday recap that looks back at the previous episode and previews what to expect for the upcoming episode.

Episode 10 (“Getting Down to the Nitty Gritty”) into a preview of Episode 11 – We left off with Riley and Maddison at the Taj Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad, India. From the start, I felt they were one of the strongest teams. They’ve won two episodes and placed in the top four each week. Coming off their first place finish in India, we know of six things: 1-The Mine Five Alliance is dead as all five teams are in the final five, 2-a smaller alliance has formed (Riley and Maddison, Will and James, and Hung and Chee), 3-all plans lead to eliminate Gary and DeAngelo, 4-teams are off to Cambodia for this leg of the race, 5-the second and final double U-turn would take place in this leg, and 6-each pair will now have a second companion for this leg.


How cool is this little guy with his own life jacket?! The Travelocity Roaming Gnome is their companion for this leg of the race and despite his small size, he will be a huge help to the teams. ***SPOILER ALERT – Per his Instagram page (@maddison.mckibbin), Maddison says they named the gnome Jameson, after their younger brother.*** This is just way too funny!

It seems as if the gnome got more attention in this episode than one of the teams (Eswar and Aparna) have all season long. It’s also really cute that Hung and Chee say their family (they have three kids), watches every season. Can they keep the gnome for their kids?

As they head to the airport, Maddison assumes “there is a huge probability that there is the double U-Turn on this leg.” Riley then hits us with we kind of knew was going to happen…

Those three (Riley and Maddison, Hung and Chee, Will and James) see DeAngelo and Gary Not Eswar and Aparna) as the bigger threat to them. Goal in place. It’s a nice plan to have and seems like a great idea until all five teams end up on the same plane to Cambodia. So much for a lead.

Seeing the excitement of Will and James upon learning where this leg takes the teams is quite endearing (it’s a bucket list item for them). Hearing DeAngelo say “it’ll now be interesting to see the savage nature of what was the Mine Five since we’re the only teams remaining” is a head scratcher. I’m sorry DeAngelo, but didn’t you steal a taxi from Hung and Chee in Germany AFTER they helped you with the unscrambling of the letters? The drama…both Eswar and Aparna, and Gary and DeAngelo assume that it’s every team for themselves. Can this new group of three execute their plan? And when will these two “outsider” teams realize there’s actually a new alliance that was within their original alliance?

It sure is majestic in Cambodia. Yes it’s a race, but Riley and Maddison have done the best at remaining calm and taking moments in. From talking to their taxi drivers to performing tasks, there’s been no meltdown. Hung and Chee are like Riley and Maddison in that they have made friends with everyone. Remember the “read the entire clue” hint that we’ve said throughout this Season? They must find the marked tuk-tuk with the Travelocity Roaming Gnome at the market (Psah Chas). And when you don’t know, ask the local. Great job bros!

From Will and James’ euphoric “we’re in Cambodia” to Riley and Maddison’s “Chee Hoo” while flashing shakas, they are just having so much fun heading to Chong Kneas Pier.

Paying attention to detail…it’s really important! As they pull up to the pier, they get out of their tuk-tuk and we hear Riley politely tell their driver to wait. The manners of these brothers! All teams have remembered to keep their bag they picked up at the beginning of the episode…something that was not done when in Brazil. Traveling by boat to the Chong Kneas Village from their pier, they get to donate their bag of donations to the monks at the Silat Tik Meas Buddhist Temple. How cool is this?

The brothers are having fun, so we shouldn’t be surprised when they ask all drivers who has the fastest boat! “This is waterworld out here…look at this village dude…this is incredible…I never thought we’d be on a river in Cambodia right now…just going upstream to a temple, standard Thursday.” Their one-liners! But they also remembered that they were going to a temple, so they must also respect everything in there. On the boat ride, they even rehearsed what to do. It’s of like going over a scouting report in volleyball, right? Remember when we said how Riley and Maddison have combined strong racing without having any issues? Well…

How’d you react?  Boat shuts off while in first place about halfway to the temple. What to do? It’s the first sign of bad luck. But to say “this is the way we’re gonna go down, this is the way we go down…it’s out of our control,” Riley just has the bigger perspective that there is more to life than just this race…even with $1-million on the line. To have those emotions occur, then collect and leave them at the door while presenting the donations to the monks…it’s really something.

The detour (Fish and Farm) has the options of strength (Fish-a physical task of pulling a 3280-foot fishing net through a contraption of spinning tubes to remove caught fish and collect at least 15 kilograms) and arts/crafts (Farm-mix a combination of compost and soil to plant a garden of local produce to replicate a Cambodian floating garden. What are you picking?

What’s also crazy is that Hung and Chee told their driver to take them to the Fish detour but are surprised when they land at the garden detour. Well, they are already here, might as well do this one. Hung and Chee are happy to see Will and James at this detour. But I’m laughing when Will says he was in middle school and had a garden, but then he got busy and it died. The gnome is even helping oversee their gardens! With those two as the only two teams at the Farm Detour, they help each other, including Hung and Chee mentioning to Will and James to use the seeds from their gnome’s satchel to get the next clue.

To really no one’s surprise, the two physically strongest teams (Riley and Maddison, Gary and DeAngelo decide to do the Fish detour. Riley and Maddison watch and quickly get to pulling their net. Work those forearms boys! It’s like a full tricep extension. Seeing their teamwork come to fruition as about halfway through, they realize the net must flip 180 degrees. With this being such a big leg and the U-Turn up ahead, they flawlessly convert the net flipping. It’s a never-ending net. It’s very impressive the locals do this daily. Double U-Turn coming!!!

With the brothers on the boat and heading to the restaurant, a new plan develops. To preserve this new alliance, “it’d be stupid” to U-Turn Gary and DeAngelo because they could then U-Turn one of the other two teams of their Alliance. Thinking on the fly, they decide to use their U-Turn on the other siblings team (Eswar and Aparna). Which team gets there first to use this gamechanger? The brothers get to the floating restaurant first and seem to be a little lost in getting to the second floor, where the U-Turn is located. Gary and DeAngelo spot the show’s red and yellow banner motif upstairs and get there first. What do they do?

Interesting. Interesting decision to not U-Turn the team right behind you at the Board. The gloves are off between the Mine Five Alliance, but we knew that. Second to the board, Riley and Maddison stay true to their alliance and without an idea as to how they are doing at the Farm Detour, the brothers use some improvisation in strategically burning the U-Turn board by using their U-Turn on Gary and DeAngelo. Nothing happens to Gary and DeAngelo because the former NFL players have already raced past the U-Turn. By burning the board it 1-takes away the chance for Eswar and Aparna to use it and 2-gives their alliance (Hung and Chee, Will and James) to race with ease and not be U-Turned. But the foresight that 1-Gary has in U-Turning a team to ensure of a bigger lead in case something did happen, that they would have more time (oh and they will need that time!) and 2-Eswar and Aparna (hoping they aren’t U-Turned, they get to the board third) realizing which team got to the U-Turn board first and that there is a new alliance (Maddison and Riley got there second and then burned the U-Turn board), it will make for a drama-filled roadblock if and when these two teams (Gary and DeAngelo, Eswar and Aparna) meet up again. Even if saying “it’s probably over for us,” you have to just keep racing.

Paying attention, watching demonstrations from start to finish. We’ve heard these before, right? It’s what Riley and Maddison have recently focused on. How are your skills with Arts and Crafts? Reaching the roadblock at Khmer Floor Handicraft, teams had to make a beautiful encaustic cement tile. I want one! Put the right colors in the right spots to make the tile. Seems easy right? Not so much though when they forget a very key step. How about the very first step! I’m right there with you Gary. Just watch the entire process, it’s on a loop. Watching from the sideline, you just feel helpless. Not going anywhere for a while? Take a nap!

And Aparna isn’t happy about being U-Turned! She hates their guts.

I feel like I’m in Art class while watching the entire process of making the tile. I’d have the same thinking and plan as Riley in trying to get a feel for it on the first try and then make it more perfect on try number two. I’ve also enjoyed watching and hearing the brothers support one another at the roadblock and this is no different as Maddison roots on Riley. While watching from the side, Maddison and Gary know what step is left out but they can’t do anything about it…other than hope and pray their other half figures it out…and to maybe watch the demonstration again! With teams struggling to fit the mold, we hear James say “I struggle to fit any mold.” The one liners from all remaining teams I tell you. All you have to do is watch the guy one whole time…wait, it seems pretty easy right? It’s also cute hearing Hung say “I love you Chee” as he struggles with the tile making and doesn’t want to mess up.

As Eswar and Aparna are on their way to the roadblock, get ready for some drama! The roadblock is becoming a hot mess and Riley knows something is wrong here. Let’s go try figure this out, something key is missing here. Watch the whole demonstration, it’s like listening to a song on loop. It’s like baking a cake. The missing part is discovered. This is the one! Tile done (on his sixth try) and now onto the sliding puzzle. DeAngelo jokes he won’t be tiling his bathroom anytime soon and that he doesn’t care if Eswar and Aparna don’t understand why they U-Turned them, even saying “in your face!” Okay, that might be a little much to say.

With a slap of the puzzle board, Riley says “that’s how you do it son” and while receiving the next clue, he tells the tilemaker “thank you my good sir.” Their manners! Maddison says good job to Riley as they leave the roadblock in first (with gnome in hand) with Will and James close behind. Even when heading to the pit stop, nothing is easy as now they encounter some traffic, due to…a tree being knocked down by a bulldozer.

They’ve been in the top four, so why should this leg be any different. Jogging through the Angkor ruins (which includes a heal kick by Maddison and a joke by host Phil Keoghan, “beards are a little longer!”), Riley and Maddison get to the world map rug and reach the pit stop (the ninth pit stop is Angkor Thom) first. This moated walled city from the 12th century is so cool! This is their second straight first-place finish and third overall of the season. Their reward? A trip for two to Norway (and yes boys, you fit right in with your beards!) In the end, the Siblings team of Eswar and Aparna are eliminated after being the last team to arrive. Remember the episode title? Maddison’s quote was used in Episode seven, but here in the 10th Episode, it was Riley who said “Getting Down to the Nitty Gritty.”

Episode 11 is titled “Run on Your Tippy Toes.” In episode 11, Riley and Maddison will make their way from Siem Reap, Cambodia to Manila, Philippines in the first city sprint.

The Final Four includes: pro athletes (2), a dating couple, and husband and wife. Seven men, one woman. How well can you run…in heels? And how good are you at a task that resembles the card game, concentration? We know the next targeted group to oust: Gary and DeAngelo. Will DeAngelo pay attention to all details? Can the new alliance of three get Gary and DeAngelo out? Do the brothers win another leg? Find out which three pairs make it to the final episode and who says the quote for this episode TONIGHT at 7:00 p.m. For more of a video preview of this city sprint in Manila, as well as pictures of what’s to come on tonight’s episode click here:


To follow along via social media, visit @AmazingRaceCBS and @TheMcKibbinBros on Twitter or you can head to Instagram to visit @theamazingrace or @themckibbinbros. You can also subscribe to their YouTube page by searching for The McKibbin Brothers.

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