The Amazing Race Season 39 Episode 2 Recap and Elimination

All 12 remaining teams boarded the same initial flight to Europe and took the same Metro line to the Plaza de Toros in Batán. That equalized the leg before contestants faced a chaotic tomato-pelting Roadblock.

Tomato Roadblock Shuffles the Standings in Madrid

Contestants faced a messy Roadblock where one team member searched for a hidden clue inside a massive pile of tomatoes while bystanders hurled real tomatoes at them from outside the circle. Erin Taylor and Javi Vintimillia finished first among the individual competitors, securing a spot on the initial Metro train out. However, navigation errors quickly plagued the frontrunners. Erin and Javi boarded a train heading in the wrong direction, opening the door for Ali Krieger and Joanna Lohman alongside Dafina Dunmore and Saran Dunmore to seize the correct route toward Puerta del Sol. Jody Rebhun and Jenn Naso completed the task next, while Katie Schultz and Charlotte Schultz finished last in the tomato pit and compounded their mistake by boarding a wrongly routed Metro.

During the Roadblock chaos, Dalton and Daisha Wilks became the first team of the episode to play an Express Pass. Dalton triggered the safety net because he grew worried they were falling too far behind the pack, though Daisha voiced visible annoyance that her partner gave up on the physical task.

Ham Carving and Spanish Icons at the Detour

Arriving at the Detour, teams chose between “Taste of Ham” and “Taste of History.” The ham option required contestants to carry an entire leg of ham across the city to a designated restaurant, carve precisely 50 grams of meat, and assemble a matching charcuterie board. Eight separate pairs opted for this culinary challenge, creating a massive bottleneck because only six workstations were available at any given time.

Cody and Jaime Tribo encountered the full workstations upon arrival at the ham challenge. Rather than wait for an open spot, they played their Express Pass to skip the task entirely and head straight for the Pit Stop. Dylan Matter and Doug Matter also faced delays after getting lost on the route to the Detour, though the navigational blunder accidentally helped them because workstations finally opened up by the time they arrived.

Meanwhile, the “Taste of History” path required players to locate lookalikes of 12 Spanish icons scattered across a plaza and match their names on a game board using only verbal clues about their historical achievements. Michelle Patterson and Matthew Patterson cleared the history challenge on their first try. Jody Rebhun relied on her professional background as a European history teacher to push through, but partner Jenn Naso panicked upon seeing Saran and Dafina Dunmore talking to pedestrians. Fearing the sisters had finished and were scouting directions, Jenn urged Jody to deploy their Express Pass. It later emerged that the sisters were simply asking locals to look up historical data for them.

Charlotte and Katie Schultz Are Eliminated from the Race

Charlotte and Katie Schultz never recovered from their early transit missteps and arrived at the Pit Stop in last place, resulting in their elimination from the race.

Ali Krieger and Joanna Lohman claimed first place for the leg. Michelle and Matt Patterson secured second, Cody and Jaime Tribo took third thanks to their skipped Detour, and Ann-Marie Tejcek and Riley Tejcek finished fourth. Jody and Jenn crossed the finish line in fifth, followed by Daisha and Dalton Wilks in sixth, Erin and Javi Vintimillia in seventh, Anuar Tager and Andrea Tager Ballesca in eighth, and Conner Wilson and Garrett McGuire in ninth. Dylan and Doug managed tenth place despite their getting lost, while Saran and Dafina Dunmore avoided elimination by eking out eleventh place.

The Amazing Race airs Wednesday nights at 9:30/8:30c on CBS.