Did Rod Gardner and Leticia advance in episode 8 of 'The Amazing Race' from Barbados, site of Rihanna's childhood home? Results, spoilers
Warning: Spoilers ahead from Episode 8 of CBS' "The Amazing Race" season 36 that aired on Wednesday, May 1.
For the first time ever in the long history of "The Amazing Race," teams raced around Barbados as season 36 entered the home stretch.
And for former NFL player Rod Gardner and his wife, Leticia, they experienced a first they would like to avoid in the future during tonight's episode, one in which teams visited the childhood home of pop superstar Rihanna.
They found themselves in the rare position in the back of the pack after failing to ace the tasks at hand and were among the teams looking to avoid last place.
Fortunately for the Gardners, they survived the leg and moved on to next week's penultimate episode of the season.
As a result, Rod, a one-time Green Bay Packers wide receiver, and Leticia, a businesswoman, avoided being the third straight team with a connection to Wisconsin to be eliminated.
The other two teams — Milwaukee native Shelisa Williams and her husband Derek, and Wisconsin firefighters Sunny Pulver and Bizzy Smith — were sent home in the previous two episodes.
There are now just five teams left heading into next week's episode as racers head to the Dominican Republic.
Here's a recap of episode 8 from Barbados with a focus on Rod and Leticia Gardner.
Former NFL player Rod Gardner and Leticia Gardner survive elimination on 'The Amazing Race'
Tonight's episode of "The Amazing Race" was titled "That's What Being Strong Will Do."
To this point, Rod and Leticia had been one of the strongest teams. They were never in much danger of going home at each leg as teams raced in Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay.
The Gardners opened the season with two first-places and always found a way to overcome any minor setbacks to remain near the top with a clear goal in mind of winning the entire race.
A series of mistakes almost cost them in Barbados.
They were coming off a third-place finish last week and appeared they had cleaned up some of the issues that had plagued them at times this season. But each leg offers its own challenges.
The Gardners found that out in episode 8 as their position in the leg would quickly drop. In fact, the team that began the leg in fifth place arrived to the Roadblock before them and then finished the game of street tennis ahead of them. Players had to win 11 points against a local to receive their next clue.
Leticia participated and it took her some time to find a rhythm. The 38-year-old noted that even though she was struggling early on she was having fun. But the professional athlete in Rod, 46, was kicking in as he tried to fire her up like a coach on the sidelines.
"Let’s get it baby, we in competition mode right now," Rod told her. "Baby, let’s be great, baby get in serious mode. Let’s go."
Rod is always in competition mode. He only has one motor. And he's always-confident.
"I was actually pretty great at table tennis," he said off to the side. "I’m talking about slicing the ball and everything. Hopefully, my wife is a table tennis genius."
When Leticia finally captured her 11th point Rod raced over to give her a big hug.
The mood would soon change.
After retrieving the clue at the site of Rihanna's childhood home telling them the site of the Detour, the Gardners had major navigation issues.
They were off track in getting to Long Bay Beach in Christ Church. They eventually got back on the right path after asking for directions. But by this point other teams had passed them. Rod, who was driving, has admitted he doesn't like to have things out of his control.
"I'm freaking out," Rod said.
They arrived to the Roadblock in fifth of six teams. Could they make up time in a challenge on the beach? Teams had to choose between "Fish Pot Building" or "Seaweed Clearing." All but one team chose "Fish Pot Building," a task that involved building a fish pot using sticks and wire mesh.
Rod and Leticia thought they completed the mission twice but each time they missed adding together pieces to the contraption. It harkens back to other legs when they overlooked details.
Eventually, it was down to the Gardners and mother-son duo Angie and Danny as the last two teams at the task. The Gardners realized their mistake, finished and got their clue to the pit stop.
But their troubles weren't over.
After initially going in the wrong direction, their vehicle got stuck in the mud off the road. Bridgetown, Barbados, had experienced heavy rainfalls earlier in the day, making it extra difficult for their vehicle to get back in gear. But Rod, being the former football player that he is, pushed the vehicle out and the Gardners were back on the road. They arrived to the pit stop ahead of Angie and Danny to live for another day.
They'll start as the last team to leave the next leg, something host Phil Keoghan reminded them is uncharted territory for them.
But it's better than being eliminated, Rod told Keoghan.
"Our best day, you still haven't seen it," Rod said.
Who was eliminated on Amazing Race tonight?
Angie and Danny.
The mother-son team was coming off its best finish last leg, taking second place. That meant they left with first-place team Ricky Rotandi and Cesar Aldrete, this year's powerhouse team, 15 minutes ahead of the third and fourth-place teams and 30 minutes ahead of the fifth and sixth-place teams.
The leg started promising during the street tennis Roadblock challenge. The task was perfect for Angie, a tennis coach. She did well with it and they were off and running looking to maintain their position.
While other teams struggled with navigation throughout the season, no one might have been better than Danny with directions. He often even helped other teams.
So, it's unfortunate that what ultimately sent them home is a driving mistake. As they were driving to the Roadblock, they got separated from their crew vehicle behind them while going through a roundabout. They then had to wait to begin the challenge until their crew arrived.
That set them back tremendously and they couldn't catch up.
"This has been everything I ever dreamed of," said Danny, a superfan of the show who in the season premiere two months ago described how he organized local "Amazing Races."
"To do it with one of your best friends, I couldn’t be more proud," he added. "I watched my mom conquer fears on this race."
Amazing Race teams 2024, season 36 cast, order of finish after eighth leg in Barbados
Ricky Rotandi and Cesar Aldrete (dating) - First place (fifth win this season), no change
Juan Villa and Shane Bilek (best friends) - Second place, up four spots
Amber Craven and Vinny Cagungun (dating) - Third place, up one spot
Yvonne Chavez and Melissa Main (dating) - Fourth place, up one spot
Rod and Leticia Gardner (married; Rod is a former NFL wide receiver who briefly played for the Green Bay Packers in the 2005 season) - Fifth place, down two spots
Amazing Race teams eliminated
Angie and Danny Butler (mother, son) - Eliminated in eighth episode
Sunny Pulver and Bizzy Smith (best friends/firefighters from Wisconsin) - Eliminated in seventh episode
Shelisa and Derek Williams (Married couple from California. Shelisa is a Milwaukee native who graduated from Milwaukee Custer High School) - Eliminated in sixth episode
Kishori Turner and Karishma Cordero (cousins) - Eliminated in fifth episode
Michelle and Sean Clark (married) - Eliminated in fourth episode
Anthony and Bailey Smith (twin brothers) - Eliminated in third episode
Chris Foster and Mary Cardona-Foster (father-daughter) - Eliminated in second episode
Rohan and Maya Mody (brother, sister) - Eliminated in first episode
What time is Amazing Race on tonight?
The eighth episode of "The Amazing Race," titled "That's What Being Strong Will Do," aired at 8:30 p.m. Central time on Wednesday, May 1.
The 90-minute episode followed "Survivor."
What channel is Amazing Race on?: TV, streaming
"The Amazing Race" airs weekly on CBS.
"The Amazing Race" streams on the CBS app and Paramount Plus. Fubo offers a free trial.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Amazing Race recap in Barbados; Rod, Leticia Gardner results, spoilers
