The Amazing Race Season 37 Episode 7 recap: The teams travel to Bulgaria for the first time in franchise history 

In episode 7, appropriately named "Be One with the Hay," The Amazing Race traveled to Bulgaria with its final seven teams, marking a first for the long-running reality show. As competitors encountered difficult tasks that tried their patience and physical strength, the leg provided suspenseful drama. After leaving Dubai's Museum of the Future, teams set out for Sofia, Bulgaria, where the customary cab safety net was replaced by self-driving manual automobiles and paper maps.

For some, this adjustment proved disastrous; Jonathan got their car trapped in a ditch, and Carson and Jack fell hours behind because of navigational mistakes. The episode had a cruel mix of tasks, such as milking sheep, carrying 440 pounds of firewood, looking for bracelets in enormous haystacks, and a double U-turn that brought the Fiorito brothers home after six long hours of hay-digging.

What happened in this episode of The Amazing Race Season 37?

The moment The Amazing Race teams landed in Bulgaria, the game changed dramatically. Gone were the comfortable taxi rides with local drivers handling navigation. Instead, contestants received manual transmission cars and paper maps – a combination that immediately separated the pack.

"We are three hours behind everyone," Carson admitted as he and Jack repeatedly took wrong turns throughout the countryside.

Meanwhile, Jonathan and Ana faced their own transportation nightmare when Jonathan accidentally drove their car into a ditch. Despite help from Mark, Brett, and several kind locals, the couple lost precious time.

"No matter what we do, our car won't budge," a frustrated Ana explained as they watched other teams pass them by.

This new transportation challenge proved that in The Amazing Race, simply getting from point A to point B can make or break your position, regardless of how quickly you complete the actual challenges.

Bulgaria offered a breathtaking setting for culturally intensive challenges for the first time in the 37-season run of the program. After delivering apple offerings during traditional Kukeri rites, teams proceeded to the Osoitsa Village Library to locate their next clue.

Two jobs that were specifically Bulgarian were presented by the Detour: "Haystack" asked teams to locate a small red and white bracelet concealed amid massive hay mounds, and "Woodstack" had them move 200 kilograms (440 pounds) of logs using a wheelbarrow and rucksack.

At Snezha's Farm, the Roadblock had one team member milk sheep until they collected half a litre, then consumed a bowl of traditional Bulgarian yogurt.

"Wasn't the 102-year-old Bulgarian grandma just lovely?" one The Amazing Race contestant remarked, highlighting the cultural connection that made this leg special.

This cultural immersion gave viewers a glimpse into rural Bulgarian customs that are rarely shown on American television, and it was a welcome diversion from the usual urban issues.

Who was eliminated in this episode of The Amazing Race Season 37?

The episode's most dramatic moments centered around a surprise double U-Turn following the detour. Though frontrunners Alyssa and Josiah, Brett and Mark, Jonathan and Ana chose not to use their U-Turn powers, those trailing behind had different plans.

Mother-daughter duo Melinda and Erika, feeling vulnerable after struggling with the haystack challenge, made the strategic decision to U-Turn brothers Nick and Mike.

"We were under the assumption that these three were the only teams left," Melinda explained, immediately regretting their choice when they realized more teams remained behind them.

This forced Nick and Mike to complete Detour challenges and U-Turn siblings Han and Holden, creating a domino effect that drastically altered the race's outcome.

Nick and Mike ultimately spent six hours searching through haystacks, never even making it to the pit stop. Instead, host Phil Keoghan visited them at the challenge site to deliver the news of their elimination.

Meanwhile, Carson and Jack, who had been hopelessly lost for hours, managed to complete their challenges quickly enough to secure sixth place once they finally arrived.

Married nurse anesthetists Alyssa and Josiah were unexpected front-runners, winning the leg and a five-night vacation to Marrakech, with just six teams left.

Second place went to Brett and Mark, and third place went to Jonathan and Ana, who miraculously recovered from their vehicle accident. Carson and Jack almost missed elimination in sixth place, Melinda and Erika in fifth, and Han and Holden in fourth.

With each remaining The Amazing Race team proving they can overcome significant setbacks, the pressure increases as the competition progresses into its final rounds. Whether dealing with new driving conditions, communication difficulties, or the agony of finding a tiny bracelet in a haystack, the Bulgarian leg demonstrated that flexibility is still the most crucial talent in The Amazing Race.

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You can watch The Amazing Race Season 36 on CBS every Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET/PT, with episodes available to stream the next day on Paramount+.