Amazing Race update – High in Scandanavia

I missed a little of the start of tonight's leg, but it looks like teams headed from Sweden to Norway, where they needed to take a gondola to the top of a mountain, retrieve a clue, and head back down. Surgeons Nat & Kat arrive first and there's a Fast Forward: the first team to take it can skip all other challenges and head to the Pit Stop. Team Surgeons decide to take the Fast Forward and the challenge is that they must participate in a traditional Norwegian Christmas ritual: eating a boiled sheep's head. This is an issue for Kat, who is a vegetarian. But they struggle through and head to the Pit Stop where they're (spoiler alert!) team #1.

The other teams head off to a bridge where it's the Roadblock, one team member needs to rappel down and then climb back up with an ascender. Most of the (younger) teams are able to do this without much problem – including Gary from Team Kentucky – but Claire from Team QVC gets tired about halfway up. Meanwhile, Katie & Rachel, Chad & Stephanie, and Nick & Vicki are still trying to find their way to the bridge.

Teams who have completed the Roadblock head to the next clue and it's the Detour: Bike or Boat. Teams may either ride bikes to a sign with codes to open a lock, or take a boat across the bay and deliver some fish. Team YouTube and Team QVC do the boat while Team Kentucky and Jill & Thomas do the bikes. The boat is easy but takes a while. Team Volleyball is way behind, bringing up the rear at the Roadblock.

Katie & Rachel try to catch up but they choose the slower Detour and there's no way even the creative editing of the Race can trick viewers into believing they can catch up. Phil's sorry to tell them that they are eliminated.

Final standings:

#1 – Team Surgeons – Nat & Kat – Took the Fast Forward
#2 – Team Kentucky – Gary & Mallory
#3 – Team Faceless Young Couple - Jill & Thomas
#4 – Team YouTube – Michael & Kevin
#5 – Team QVC – Brook & Claire
#6 – Team Vegas – Nick & Vicki
#7 – Team Bickering Young Couple – Chad & Stephanie
#8 – Team Volleyball – Katie & Rachel - PHILIMINATED

Next week: Russia.