Read. Your. Clues. If there’s one thing that any and all teams should know, remember, and hold sacred going into The Amazing Race (Wednesdays at 7 pET on CTV), it’s that you always need to read your clues. And then for good measure, read them again.Almost all of the teams (except Will and James, who had their own brush-in with a misread clue last week) totally forgot that cardinal rule in Wednesday’s episode, when the teams hit up the markets in Brazil. There, they had to prove they know how to shop by securing a long grocery list of items including a machete, fish, and two pairs of gloves. Yet what should have been a simple task turned out to be the downfall for so many.

Alliances and Wayward Packs

Perhaps those misread clues had everything to do with how many alliances came out this week. Riley and Maddison were all about them as they helped “the Top 5 teams” get through the market challenge rather than zipping through to a first-place finish. That’s a fine strategy for now and all, but down the line someone from the top of the pack is going to stumble, and there are going to be a lot of hurt feelings involved. Look no further than what happened with Will and James when they U-Turned Leo and Alana (more on that below). Sure the volleyball pros were safe for now, but if it comes down to them and another team, their alliance will be all but forgotten.For now that group mentality is kind of hilarious to watch, or at least it is when it means teams are frantically following one another around. Almost everyone, after checking in their grocery items to get their next clue, went running off to the docks rather than getting on the boats right in front of them. And even worse, so many people forgot to bring their items with them, which was clearly stated in the clue.

?♂️ READ. THE. CLUE. #AmazingRace pic.twitter.com/XkF2epQne2

— The Amazing Race (@AmazingRaceCBS) October 29, 2020

Those at the top weren’t too impacted by that bozo move though, because everyone helped one another out. However Jerry and Frank, who had a bad night from the very beginning when they ran after Michelle and Victoria rather than stopping to find their own way, didn’t get the memo. Sure, Michelle and Victoria tried, but have you ever attempted to communicate something to someone on a speedboat as you’re going in the opposite direction? It’s worse than playing Broken Telephone. So in the end, Jerry and Frank got all the way to the island before realizing they had to go back for their groceries, and it cost them. Big time.[video_embed id='2064400']MORE IN TV: The new trailer for 'Selena: The Series' is here [/video_embed]

The Dreaded Double U-Turn

There are three types of teams on this race: those who would never use a U-Turn, those who would only use it when absolutely necessary to save themselves, and those who believe it’s a fair and justified game piece to use whenever the opportunity strikes. Super fans Will and James proved they fall into the latter category when, in first place, they U-Turned Leo and Alana. Usually that kind of shoddy move would make fans dislike you from their popcorn-strewn couches, but in this case, viewers are already against Alana and Leo for helping Kaylynn and Haley last week and not Jerry and Frank or Kellie and LaVonne (AKA the two teams with people of colour). So when Leo and Alana were forced to go back and do the hut challenge after successfully completing the cooking challenge, some fans felt it might have been a bit of karma at work. Though, to be fair, Leo and Alana did address their implicit bias on social media following last week’s episode.

I have a lot to learn. What I do know1. Implicit bias is real and is often unexamined by white women like myself, whose actions/sanctity justify the most heinous forms of racism--something I'll forever be working on2. Black lives matter3. If you don't agree, go fuck yourself

— Alana Folsom (@axfolsom) October 22, 2020

No excuses: we are part of a racist society, and that influences our actions and relationships.

— Leo Folsom (Amazing Race 32 ?) (@leoebfolsom) October 22, 2020

While the teams may be learning more about themselves now (two years after they first filmed this season), it was bad news for Jerry and Frank this week as Kaylynn and Haley felt like they owed Alana and Leo for previously helping them out. So when they got to the U-Turn board and saw that their buds’ faces had been put up there, they strategically put the father-and-son duo up too. And that was what officially sealed it for Jerry and Frank in this race. Although the guys didn’t quit they also arrived at the Pit Stop mat well after everyone else, securing their elimination. But hey, at least they got to spend some quality time bonding in the Amazon. And what did Will and James get for their U-Turn plotting? A first-place finish, a trip to Bali, and some serious enemies in Alana and Leo. Let’s see how this all plays out, shall we?Watch The Amazing Race Wednesdays at 7 pET on CTV.[video_embed id='-1']BEFORE YOU GO: Puppy attempts to figure out water bowl and cuteness ensues [/video_embed]