'The Amazing Race' resumes racing after COVID-19 shutdown -- and Michael Norwood and Moe Badger get eliminated again!

The Amazing Race returned after a 19-month hiatus and welcomed back two previously-eliminated teams before ousting Michael Norwood and Armonde "Moe" Badger -- for the second time -- at the fourth Pit Stop of Season 33 during Wednesday night's episode on CBS.


The "Singing Police Officers" were invited back to race the remainder of Season 33 because a whopping four teams had to drop out due to circumstances involving the show's long COVID-19 postponement.

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However, Michael and Moe were eliminated from the Race at the end of the fourth leg once they arrived at the Pit Stop in Altstatten, Switzerland and met The Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan in seventh -- and last -- place.

"This is my brother forever. No matter what we go through -- we've been through all different types of things, especially in our line of work, being police officers," Michael told Phil after they were told their race had ended.


"At the end of the day, we've got beautiful families and a beautiful city that supports us, and we're going to go back home and keep rocking!" Moe added.

The Amazing Race broadcast began with teams happily reuniting with Phil after filming was postponed for well over a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"The world is waiting for you once again!" Phil announced. "This has been a 19-month Pit Stop from the last time we were together, and here we are in Switzerland, arguably the most neutral country in the world. It seems like the perfect place to restart The Amazing Race!"

However, a couple of teams were noticeably missing.

The teams who gathered together that day were "Best Friends" Ryan Ferguson and Dusty Harris, "Flight Attendants" Raquel Moore and Cayla Platt, "Twins and Radio Hosts" Marianela "Lulu" Gonzalez and Marissa "Lala" Gonzalez, "Internet Personalities" Kim Holderness and Penn Holderness, and "Married Educators" Akbar Cook Sr. and Sheridan Cook.


The teams who were unable to resume the Race were "Married Couple" Connie Greiner and Sam Greiner, "Childhood Friends" Anthony Sadler and Spencer Stone, "YouTube Sensations" Taylor Green-Jones and Isaiah Green-Jones, and "Dating Couple" Caro Viehweg and Ray Gantt.

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"Not everybody had the ability to come back and race for that $1 million prize. So, a few familiar faces [are] taking their place!" Phil declared.

Suddenly, two previously-eliminated Season 33 teams came running out and cheering: "Singing Police Officers" Michael and Moe as well as "Father and Daughter" Arun Kumar and Natalia Kumar.

None of the returnees seemed upset that producers had welcomed back two teams they had already beaten and eliminated.


Arun also revealed Natalia had tied the knot, and the two flight attendants shared how they had both lost their jobs for a year.

"It's nice to be back in our element and finally traveling again, and we're ready to get back on the Race!" Raquel said.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Lulu and Lala shared how their grandmother had passed away but they learned from her that once you start something you finish it. The pair decided to race in their grandmother's honor and memory.

In order to keep the teams safe, Phil revealed a few adjustments had been made.


"For instance, when we move from one country to another, you will be flying on charters. You will be avoiding public transportation, so you'll be doing a lot more self-driving," Phil said.

Phil then told the teams to find a nearby museum, where they would see three buses waiting for them. The teams were instructed to board the buses on a first come, first serve basis, and the buses had limited capacity for only two or three teams as a social-distancing safety precaution.

The teams' first set of clues sent them to Schwagalp, where they must take a cable car 8,000 feet up the mountains and above sea level.

Ryan and Dusty said they came back to the Race as a better team after mastering different trades and using their free time to hike up mountains to better their physical stamina.

Michael and Moe, who had been eliminated on the first leg of the Race, were on the second bus with Arun and Natalia, who had been ousted at the end of Leg 3.


But the order of the buses didn't matter in the end because they all stepped into the same big cable car at the same time.

Once the teams reached the top, Ryan and Dusty ripped open their next clue in first place.

From the top of the mountain, the teams could see six countries: Austria, Liechtenstein, Italy, France, Germany, and Switzerland. The participating Racers were required to clip into a rope on the ledge of the mountain and navigate their way down the cliff to another cluebox.

Ryan chose to take on the task, and then Lulu and Lala ripped open their clue in second place. The girls were then followed by Arun and Natalia, Raquel and Cayla, Kim and Penn, Michael and Moe, and finally Akbar and Sheri.

In addition to Ryan, the Racers who opted to do the task were Lulu, Arun, Raquel, Penn, Moe, and Sheri.

Moe said he doesn't like heights, and Sheri was admittedly "terrified." In fact, Akbar wished he had done the task instead of his wife.


Ryan reached the cluebox in first place, and Lulu wasn't far behind him. Arun received the next clue in third place, and on his heels were Penn and Raquel -- with Sheri far behind the other teams in a distant last place.

Penn, however, was able to pass some teams while hiking his way back up the mountain.

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The next set of clues instructed the teams to drive themselves to Gasthaus Sonne to find their next clue.

Ryan and Dusty missed the first cable car by seconds and so they had to wait 10 minutes for the next one, allowing other teams to catch up to them.

Kim and Penn finished the Roadblock task in second place, and they were then followed by Arun and Natalia, Lulu and Lala, Raquel and Cayla, Michael and Moe, and finally Akbar and Sheri.


All of the teams hopped on the same cable car down the mountain except for Akbar and Sheri, who was well aware she had finished the Roadblock task "in dead last." Akbar didn't blame his wife for being in last place; he blamed himself for not doing the task.

Once at Gasthaus Sonne, Michael and Moe -- in first place -- learned it was time to complete one of two possible Detour tasks: "Punch It" or "Toss It."

"Punch It" required teams to use specialized hand tools to tell a story by attaching ornaments to a leather belt in the correct order. When the master belt maker approved of a story, that team would receive their next clue.

"Toss It" required teams to learn a short sequence of flag tosses and twirls. Once a team was able to properly perform the routine, they would receive their next clue.

Michael and Moe in first place chose "Punch It," but Kim and Penn in second place selected "Toss It." Ryan and Dusty, racing in third, also chose the flag sequence, as did Lulu and Lala behind them.

Raquel and Cayla in fifth place opted to do "Toss It" as well, but the sixth-place team, Arun and Natalia, decided to do "Punch It."


Michael and Moe weren't sure how to get to the Detour location, so they just hoped Akbar and Sheri were still far behind them.

"We have to have a flawless race so we can catch up to them," Akbar said in a confessional after Sheri finished the Roadblock and faced her fear of heights.

Cayla joked about not being coordinated, and so she clearly struggled with the choreography. She wanted an all-female team to win, so if it couldn't be them, she hoped Lulu and Lala would eventually race to the finish and win.

Dusty and Ryan had trouble with the flag task as well, and so they considered switching. However, the guys decided to stick with it and try again as to not waste a lot of time.

In a shocking turn of events, Ryan and Dusty managed to pass Kim and Penn after successfully completing the choreographed flag routine.

The men finished the Detour in first place and were instructed to find Phil at the Pit Stop at Appenzell. Phil was waiting in Altstatten, a small, historic and rural market town located in the foothills of Switzerland's eastern mountains.


Kim had a moment of panic because she suddenly found her flag very heavy and her arm was shaking, but the pair got the job done in second place.

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Meanwhile, Akbar and Sheri were just beginning the "Toss It" task.

Lulu and Lala completed the Detour task on their first attempt, and so they began driving to the Pit Stop in third place. Raquel and Cayla finished the Detour in fourth place.

Behind Raquel and Cayla were Arun and Natalie in fifth place, but Arun and Natalia got lost when trying to find the Pit Stop. They drove for miles in the total opposite direction.

Although Akbar and Sheri bickered while learning their flag routine, they jumped ahead of a couple of teams and left the Detour in sixth place. Michael and Moe were therefore racing in last place at this point, and they had to stop and ask someone at a local bakery for directions.


Ryan and Dusty met Phil at the Pit Stop and finished the fourth leg in first place. They therefore won $2,500 each.

"To get a first place after 19 months of waiting and waiting and waiting, I feel ecstatic. We're not coming here to lose!" Dusty said.

Kim and Penn made it to the Pit Stop in second place.

After a footrace between two teams, Raquel and Cayla stepped on the Pit Stop mat in third place, and Lulu and Lala made it in fourth place.

Akbar and Sheri found Phil at the Pit Stop mat in fifth place, and Sheri cried with excitement.

Arun and Natalia stepped on the Pit Stop mat in sixth place, and they were thrilled to be able to keep racing.


And finally, Michael and Moe arrived at the fourth Pit Stop in seventh -- and last -- place.

"Unfortunately, you are the last team to arrive, and you have been eliminated from the Race," Phil said.

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The men, however, were just excited to have been invited back, and they said they got to do something most people only dream about two times.

Michael and Moe said they had a "blast" and this loss didn't sting as badly as the first one.







About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski