The Amazing Race 38 Ep 3 Recap
Rob Cesternino, Jessica Liese, and Mike Bloom are back for another incredible journey around the world watching The Amazing Race! Our TAR experts will be back with a recap each and every week! Make sure to also tune into our weekly exit interview with the eliminated team.
Today, Jess and Mike discuss episode 3 of The Amazing Race 38.
The race wrapped up its stay in the Czech Republic with stops like Ka Hora, featuring agrarian challenges with beer, barley, straw, and hockey. The Turners were eliminated after finishing last for the third time.
The big story was the return of the Driver’s Seat, where the top three teams formed a rare alliance to assign tasks—leveraging strategy in a way rarely seen on TAR. Natalie and Stephanie gained power, directing heavier burdens to rivals while helping allies with old-school “MapQuest-style” directions. This raised debate about whether teamwork crossed into breaking the spirit of the race.
Team Highlights
* Natalie & Stephanie: 1st, winning $2,500 and emerging as front-runners.
* Jass & Jag: 2nd, intentionally holding back to avoid being targets.
* Tucker & Eric: 3rd, rebounded despite major hockey struggles.
* Joseph & Adam: 4th, entertaining chaos with lost keys and beer mishaps.
* Hannah & Simone: 5th, adding comic relief and Czech language attempts.
* Rebina & Christine: 7th, detoured early but recovered.
* Kylind & Taylor: 9th, contrasting communication styles on display.
* Cat & Alex: 10th, lovable chaos at the bottom.
* The Turners: Eliminated after a misdirected detour and Megan’s rib injury.
What Mike and Jessica Said
* They were thrilled about the return of the Driver’s Seat, calling it “a literal tribunal” and noting it finally delivered on Phil’s promise of more strategy this season. They compared it to Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains for how alliances were used.
* They joked about the “MapQuest”–style printed directions teams shared, debating whether that broke the spirit of the race and even whether trailing teams could legally grab them.
* They praised Natalie & Stephanie, saying Stephanie in particular looked like a season favorite, and were impressed by Natalie scoring “five-hole” in the hockey Roadblock.
* They laughed at Adam & Joseph’s chaos (beer pouring struggles, lost car keys) and speculated the edit was setting them up for a deep run because of all the personal backstory.
* They teased Jass & Jag’s strategy, saying they “literally threw the comp” like Big Brother players to avoid being seen as too dominant.
* They enjoyed Hannah’s comic relief and her attempts at Czech, calling it fun “sound bite energy.”
* They found Rebina & Christine’s pit stop misfire hilarious, noting it was somehow survivable thanks to how stratified the leg was.
* They admitted they want Cat & Alex to stick around despite being bad racers—just for the entertainment factor.
* They were sympathetic toward the Turners’ elimination, especially Megan’s rib injury, while noting the irony that it was their “best leg” before getting misdirected.
* Looking ahead, they were excited for Budapest, praising the Rubik’s cube Fast Forward as “brilliant game design” because it wouldn’t just reward arriving first.
Next Stop
The race moves to Budapest, Hungary, with circus tasks, acrobatics, and a Rubik’s cube Fast Forward that won’t guarantee victory just by arriving first.
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Rob Cesternino
@robcesternino
