Remember vacations? You know, those things people used to take back in 2019 in order to see a new country or city, relax, and maybe take in a little culture? The Amazing Race (Wednesdays at 9pET/PT on CTV) was here to remind viewers of what once was with its 32^nd season premiere, which was filmed two years ago before the coronavirus shut such things down for the foreseeable future.And oh, how glorious it was. Fans were even missing the weird smell of airplanes by the time the hour-long premiere wrapped, as it featured everything from the beachy sands of Tobago, the bustling streets in Trinidad, and even a little goat racing. But more importantly the premiere introduced viewers to the 11 new teams vying for a million bucks in their race around the world, giving everyone a taste of what to expect in this “One Million Miles” season.

First Impressions

The action kicked off at the Hollywood Bowl, which was eerily empty for filming and remains eerily empty now with the pandemic (guys, maybe TAR can predict the future). Right away host Phil Keoghan asked the teams who they thought could win this whole thing, and it didn’t take long for them to single out former pro footballers DeAngelo Williams and Gary Barnidge. They’ve got the brawn, that’s for sure. But as Phil reminded everyone, it takes more than sheer strength to win this race.

Friendship goals! ? RT if you have friends who are like family. #AmazingRace pic.twitter.com/ZkTzu8HG2x

— The Amazing Race (@AmazingRaceCBS) October 15, 2020

Meanwhile dating couple Leo and Alana apparently don’t mind being typecast at all. Alana straight up told the cameras that people are definitely going to mistake them for nerds because they wear glasses and they don’t look athletic. She’s proud of being hella smart, but she also hinted that when it comes to certain challenges these two are going to surprise a lot of people. In other words, bring on the assumptions, because they may actually give this team a bit of an early advantage.And then there was Nathan and Cody, two buddies from the south that met noodling (catching mammoth catfish with their bare hands). The other teams immediately categorized them as the hicks, but they proved right away that they don’t care about any of that. They were there to have fun and strengthen their friendship, and a million bucks would just be icing on the cake. More on that later.[video_embed id='2055244']WATCH: Phil Keoghan shares why now is the perfect time for 'The Amazing Race' [/video_embed]

The Strategies Come Out

The reason this show is so successful (other than invoking that aforementioned travel envy) is that it knows how to cast entertaining people who use a ton of different strategies to win. Take siblings Eswar and Aparna for example. The twenty-somethings are smart and have been dreaming about doing this race since they were little. They decided not to run with the pack and get tangled up in the physicality of it all, and that move cost them when they came in last during the barrel-pushing challenge in Trinidad. They were angry about it too, which just goes to show you how much pressure they're putting on themselves.They weren’t the only team stressing though. Olympian hurdlers Kellie and LaVonne had a couple of rough patches throughout the episode, especially Kellie. During the fish-unlocking challenge at Swallows Beach she revealed she’s dyslexic and has a hard time with numbers. That continued to challenge her when they finally moved on (in last place) to the steelpan drum challenge. One member from each team had to perform “Day-O” and Kellie was just not getting it. Nearly all the other teams came and went as she struggled to keep her cool and remember the correct numbers to hit.

Let’s take a moment to cheer on Kellie! ??? #AmazingRace pic.twitter.com/jWsegtNrEu

— The Amazing Race (@AmazingRaceCBS) October 15, 2020

She wasn’t the only one. Sisters Michelle and Victoria, who described themselves as the “Cajun Asians” were also stressing, despite having a clear lead. Dating couple Will and James were also feeling the pressure throughout, but seemed to thrive under it rather than falter. DeAngelo and Gary—who landed the first flight after the barrel-pushing challenge—crumbled under the stress of the steel pan challenge when Gary failed to find the beat. It was like Phil’s words were coming back to haunt them…

Running into First... With Some Goats in Tow

If there’s one takeaway from having now seen more than 300 teams participate in this race, it’s that the team that stays cool together often prevails together. Married couple Chee and Hung proved that once again on Wednesday night when they worked together, stayed calm, and put all those years of child-rearing to good use by not losing their temper—despite a rough challenge unlocking the right coloured fish on Swallows Beach. Of course it didn’t hurt that Chee also nailed the steel pan drum challenge, allowing them to move on to the last challenge: running with the goats to the mat, where Phil was waiting.Sure, Hung wiped out on the mat, but it was totally worth it to come in first, right? Except technically they didn’t win the leg, as Phil revealed it was a No-Rest leg. For regular viewers, that meant the pressure was off because typically, those legs mean no one is eliminated. Typically. But not always. As it turns out Phil was ready to eliminate someone after all.

Talk about sliding in for an amazing finish #AmazingRace https://t.co/qFHfoXuI4u

— Phil Keoghan (@PhilKeoghan) October 15, 2020

In the end it came down to the footballers, the Olympians, and the noodlers, as Gary, Kellie and Cody struggled with that musical challenge. Kellie finally got it after nine attempts, and when she and LaVonne got to the goat running part they almost outran the animals, which lowkey may have been the best part of the night. Other teams will definitely want to keep their speed in mind going forward, that’s for sure.That left the noodlers and the footballers to duke it out for last place. Having finally got the drums sorted out, DeAngelo and Gary squeaked by with their goats in tow, leaving Nathan and Cody in the dust. Unfortunately for them they were eliminated, which means they won’t be joining the other teams in Bogotá, Columbia next week. It was a short but sweet run, but noodlers everywhere should feel proud that their boys represented. They weren’t in it for the money anyhow, and they’ll be walking away with some good memories for sure.Memories, and “Day-O” still stuck in their heads.Watch The Amazing Race Wednesdays at 9pET/ET on CTV.[video_embed id='-1']BEFORE YOU GO: Raccoon fishes almond snacks out of tub of water [/video_embed]