Stepping onto the mat in last place on the beach of Lagen Island, bowling moms Linda & Karen became the eighth and final Team eliminated from THE AMAZING RACE. On her incredible partner, Linda remarked, "Karen is an awesome friend. She put up with me like my husband does, and that takes a hell of a big person, and I love her." Through her tears, Karen said, "I'm glad that I got to spend this truly amazing adventure with my friend Linda. I love Linda, and I'll love her forever."

BEGINNING OF THE END
Leaving Lagen Island in first place at 3:16 am, dating Christians Brandon & Nicole opened their clue, which instructed them to fly nearly 8,000 miles to Calgary, Canada, take a taxi 80 miles to Lookout Mountain, and put on snowshoes to hike 1,000 feet to the top of the Continental Divide for their next clue. The dating Christians watched their lead disappear as both married parents Chip & Kim and dating couple Colin & Christie joined them on the same flight to Calgary.

Landing in snowy Calgary, Colin & Christie took an early lead in a dash for the taxis, while Chip & Kim brought up the rear. Setting the pace, Colin & Christie arrived at Lookout Mountain in first place--with Brandon & Nicole close behind--put on their snowshoes, and began an ascent made more difficult by thin air and frosty conditions. Christie struggled and wanted to rest, which prompted Colin to yell at her, but the pair made it to the top of the Continental Divide ahead of Brandon & Nicole.

Opening their clue, the dating couple learned they had to travel 80 miles to Canada Olympic Park and find the Olympic Cauldron for the next Route Marker. As the young, athletic Teams breezed down the mountain, Chip & Kim, solidly in last place, began their climb. With a resilient Kim in the lead, the pair fought through fatigue to reach the top of Lookout Mountain. However, the married parents watched their deficit increase as they waited for a cab at the base of the mountain.

OLYMPIC DETOUR
Arriving at Canada Olympic Park in first place, Colin & Christie discovered their final Detour. In this Detour, Teams had to choose between "Slide" and "Ride." Teams choosing Slide must perform a terrifying two-man luge down the Olympic Track at speeds up to 40 miles per hour, needing to complete the course in 34 seconds, the accepted competitive time for amateurs. If they failed, they had to keep trying until they hit the target time. Teams choosing Ride took mountain bikes on a slalom course down the Olympic ski slope in under three minutes. If they failed to finish in the required time, they must keep trying. While not as scary as luge, this task required bike riding skills and speed to finish in three minutes.

As Colin & Christie headed to the luge track, Brandon & Nicole made their way to the slalom course. Colin & Christie took a wild ride down the icy track and completed the luge course in 30.26 seconds to earn their next clue, which instructed them to fly 3,000 miles to Dallas, Texas and find the Fort Worth Stockyards. Meanwhile, on the slalom course, Nicole struggled to keep control of her bike. After failing to finish in the required three minutes, the dating Christians tried again. Nicole's terror of biking down the mountain took over as she began crying and threw down her bike, shouting, "I can't do this!" Trying to calm his hysterical girlfriend, Brandon offered to do the luge, to which she tearfully agreed. On their first try down the track, Brandon & Nicole finished in 30.41 seconds, prompting Nicole to ask, "Why did we ever do the bikes?"

As Chip & Kim finally arrived at Canada Olympic Park, Colin & Christie entered the Calgary Airport in hopes of extending their lead. Because all counters were closed, the dating couple called different airlines and determined that the fastest route to Dallas was on American Airlines Flight 848, which they booked. Arriving soon after, Brandon & Nicole snagged tickets on the same flight, and both Teams went to a hotel for the night as fog rolled in. At the hotel, the always-sharp Colin began calling to arrange a car to meet him and Christie when they landed in Dallas. The two Teams also decided to box some extra belongings to check in at the airport to lighten the loads they in their packs.

A HUGE BREAK
On the luge track, Chip & Kim found the task far more difficult than the previous two Teams. Finally, after two crashes that sent the couple skidding down the track, Chip & Kim completed the course in 32.99 seconds and hurried off to the airport with hopes of catching up. On the phone with American Airlines, Kim received news that Flight 848 would be delayed two hours because of the heavy fog. This made a United flight connecting through Denver the best option, landing in Dallas at 1:06 pm, which the married parents promptly booked. At the hotel, Chip & Kim, realizing that the other Teams didn't know of the delay, said nothing, letting the Teams assume everyone was on the same flight.

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