The Amazing Race 39 Episode 5 Analysis: Double Driver's Seat, Express Pass Strategy and Albania's Navigation Trap
Two Driver's Seat advantages gave Michelle and Matthew extraordinary control in Albania. But as another team discovered, the greatest danger in The Amazing Race can still be the journey to the Pit Stop
Spoiler warning: This article reveals the results of The Amazing Race Season 39, Episode 5, “That's Honestly on Them,” which aired October 21, 2026.
Double the Power. Double the Consequences.
For the first time in its history, The Amazing Race traveled to Albania.
Nine teams arrived in a new country, facing unfamiliar roads, challenging tasks and another opportunity to move closer to the million-dollar prize.
But Episode 5 introduced something that made this leg particularly interesting.
The Driver's Seat appeared twice.
The first team to reach each Roadblock could determine how much work the other teams would have to complete.
And both times, Michelle and Matthew arrived first.
They weren't simply racing ahead of their competition. They were deciding how difficult the competition's challenges would become.
By the end of the leg, Michelle and Matthew had won for the second consecutive week, Ali and Joanna had used their Express Pass, and Dafina and Saran had been eliminated after a devastating navigation mistake.
For Around the Route, the central question is clear:
How much control can one team have over a leg when navigation can still overturn everything?
Albania: A New Country, a New Strategic Battlefield
After two dramatic episodes in Morocco, the Race moved to Tirana, Albania.
Albania became the 99th country visited by The Amazing Race.
The new location brought a combination of physical challenges, traditional food preparation, historical locations and complicated navigation.
Unlike the Moroccan Scramble, where teams could choose their task order, Albania introduced two Roadblocks that rewarded whichever team reached them first.
That created a significant incentive to stay ahead.
Being first wasn't simply about finishing a challenge before everyone else.
It meant gaining the ability to influence the workload of the entire field.
And Michelle and Matthew took full advantage.
Driver's Seat #1: The Grape-Crushing Power Play
Photo: Courtesy of CBS/Paramount
The first Roadblock required racers to use a hand-cranked crusher to process grapes for a traditional Albanian drink.
The Driver's Seat allowed Michelle and Matthew to assign three different workloads.
Workload | Teams |
50 pounds | Michelle & Matthew; Erin & Javi; Ann-Marie & Riley |
75 pounds | Conner & Garrett; Dafina & Saran; Daisha & Dalton |
100 pounds | Ali & Joanna; Doug & Dylan; Anuar & Andrea |
Michelle and Matthew gave themselves the smallest assignment.
They also placed several competitors at a substantial disadvantage.
The most interesting decision involved Ali and Joanna.
They still held an Express Pass, and Michelle and Matthew wanted to force them into using it.
By assigning them the heaviest workload, they created a situation where bypassing the task could become more attractive.
This was more than an attempt to slow another team down.
It was an attempt to influence how another team used a limited strategic resource.
Around the Route Race Intelligence
The Driver's Seat is most powerful when it influences decisions beyond the immediate challenge.
Michelle and Matthew weren't just allocating work. They were attempting to shape their competitors' future options.
However, this strategy carries a risk.
Teams remember who gave them the hardest assignment.
A successful short-term power play can create a long-term rival.
Ali and Joanna: Was Using the Express Pass the Right Decision?
Ali and Joanna faced a difficult start in Albania.
They lost time navigating to the first Roadblock and arrived near the back of the field.
Waiting for them was a 100-pound grape-crushing assignment.
Rather than complete the challenge, they used their Express Pass.
It was a significant decision.
The Express Pass is one of the most valuable advantages in Season 39, but its value depends on when it is used.
Saving it indefinitely provides no benefit if the deadline arrives before the team takes advantage of it.
In this situation, Ali and Joanna faced three important factors.
First, they had already lost time through navigation.
Second, their assigned workload was among the heaviest.
Third, the opportunity to use their Pass was running out.
Those circumstances made using it a defensible strategic decision.
The Pass allowed them to bypass the Roadblock and continue racing.
It also meant they would enter the remaining legs without that protection.
Around the Route Race Intelligence
An Express Pass should be judged by the risk it removes, not simply by the challenge it skips.
Ali and Joanna did not know exactly how long the grape-crushing task would take.
But they knew they were behind, facing a substantial workload and approaching the advantage deadline.
That combination made the decision particularly important.
Driver's Seat #2: Michelle and Matthew Take Control Again
The second Roadblock required racers to prepare byrek, a traditional Albanian pastry.
And once again, the Driver's Seat was available.
Michelle and Matthew arrived first for the second time.
They assigned themselves eight pastries, the smallest possible workload.
Other teams received assignments of twelve or sixteen.
That gave Michelle and Matthew control over two separate Roadblocks in a single leg.
Consider the cumulative effect.
At the first Roadblock, they completed half the maximum assigned grape workload.
At the second, they prepared half the maximum assigned number of pastries.
That did not guarantee they would finish each task in half the time.
But it reduced the amount of work required.
And every minute saved at one Roadblock increased their opportunity to maintain the lead heading into the next challenge.
The Driver's Seat effectively allowed the leading team to reinforce its position.
That raises an interesting question about the twist itself.
Does the Driver's Seat reward strong racing, or does it give the leading team too much additional power?
Michelle and Matthew earned both advantages by arriving first.
But once they received them, they could make it more difficult for other teams to close the gap.
Around the Route Race Intelligence
Control of the workload is not the same as control of the result.
Michelle and Matthew could decide how much work teams completed.
They could not guarantee how quickly those teams would complete it, whether they would navigate correctly or where they would finish.
Bunk'Art 1: A Different Kind of Challenge
After the two physical Roadblocks, the Race shifted to a historical setting.
Teams traveled to Bunk'Art 1, a former bunker complex now used as a museum.
Inside, they had to find a marked room, listen carefully to a recorded conversation and decode a message.
The solution required identifying every seventh word.
This task tested a completely different set of skills.
Physical strength was less important.
Careful listening, concentration and teamwork became essential.
Michelle and Matthew solved the challenge quickly and maintained their lead.
Other teams struggled to locate the correct room or decode the message.
And the bunker became the setting for one of the episode's most interesting alliance decisions.
The Alliance Question: When Does Helping Another Team Become a Mistake?
Ann-Marie and Riley helped Daisha and Dalton during the bunker code challenge.
But when Daisha and Dalton solved the puzzle, they continued racing without providing the same assistance in return.
From a competitive standpoint, the decision is understandable.
The Amazing Race rewards the teams that reach the Pit Stop first.
Waiting can cost valuable time.
But from an alliance standpoint, the decision raises questions about trust.
Ann-Marie and Riley had provided help.
Daisha and Dalton benefited.
When the opportunity came to return that favor, they chose to protect their own position.
This is not necessarily a violation of the rules or even poor strategy.
But it demonstrates why informal alliances in The Amazing Race can become unstable.
Unlike competitions built around voting and long-term alliances, The Amazing Race ultimately requires each team to finish independently.
Cooperation works best when both teams benefit.
Once the balance changes, so can the relationship.
Around the Route Race Intelligence
Every alliance has an opportunity cost.
Helping another team may strengthen trust.
But the time spent helping could also allow a competitor to move ahead.
The best strategic decision depends on the circumstances, the relationship and the potential consequences.
Erin and Javi: A Recovery That Saved Their Race
Erin and Javi faced one of their most difficult legs of the season.
Erin struggled during the byrek Roadblock, leaving the team near the back.
But the bunker challenge created an opportunity to recover.
Javi's ability to solve the code helped them make up time.
Their recovery became even more important when the race to the Pit Stop tightened.
Despite their difficulties, Erin and Javi reached the mat in eighth place.
They survived.
Their performance demonstrated the importance of complementary strengths.
One partner may struggle with a physical or technical task.
The other may excel at a puzzle or navigation challenge.
Successful teams need to recognize those differences and use them effectively.
But survival also depended on what happened to another team.
Dafina and Saran: Navigation Ends Another Race
For Dafina and Saran, Albania initially followed a familiar pattern.
They encountered difficulties.
They recovered.
And they appeared to have moved into a position where survival was possible.
After completing the bunker challenge, they were around fifth place.
But on the way to the Pit Stop at Skanderbeg Square, they took the wrong route.
They became lost.
The time they had recovered during the challenges disappeared.
Erin and Javi moved ahead.
And Dafina and Saran arrived last.
They were eliminated.
It was a particularly difficult result because the sisters had demonstrated an ability to recover from setbacks throughout the season.
They had fought through challenging tasks and previously used the Roadside Assistance advantage to remain competitive.
But Albania exposed a problem that has already become a recurring theme in Season 39.
Navigation can erase an entire leg of strong task performance.
In Episode 4, Cody and Jaime were eliminated after struggling to reach the Pit Stop in Morocco.
In Episode 5, Dafina and Saran suffered a similar fate in Albania.
Different countries.
Different tasks.
Different teams.
The same fundamental mistake.
Around the Route Race Intelligence
The final challenge does not end the leg. The Pit Stop does.
Teams must continue making good decisions until they reach Phil Keoghan.
Completing a Roadblock quickly means little if the team loses that advantage on the road.
Michelle and Matthew: The Team to Beat?
Michelle and Matthew won Leg 5.
It was their second consecutive victory.
They controlled both Driver's Seat challenges, completed their assigned tasks efficiently and navigated Albania more successfully than much of the field.
Their reward was a trip to Peru, including Machu Picchu.
But their dominance introduces another strategic question.
Have they made themselves the biggest target in the Race?
They have demonstrated that they can win consecutive legs.
They have shown a willingness to use advantages aggressively.
And they have made decisions that directly increased the difficulty of challenges for other teams.
That approach is effective while they remain ahead.
Michelle and Matthew have established themselves as serious contenders.
Now they must manage the consequences of being perceived as the strongest team.
The Race Board: Leg 5 Results
Position | Team | Result |
1 | Michelle & Matthew | Leg winners |
2 | Daisha & Dalton | Safe |
3 | Conner & Garrett | Safe |
4 | Ann-Marie & Riley | Safe |
5 | Ali & Joanna | Safe |
6 | Doug & Dylan | Safe |
7 | Anuar & Andrea | Safe |
8 | Erin & Javi | Safe |
9 | Dafina & Saran | Eliminated |
Eight teams remain in The Amazing Race Season 39.
Michelle and Matthew now have consecutive victories, while Daisha and Dalton earned their best placement of the season.
Erin and Javi survived a difficult leg, and Dafina and Saran became the fifth eliminated team.
The Express Pass Tracker — After Leg 5
The Express Pass storyline continues to be one of the most important strategic developments of Season 39.
Ali and Joanna used their Pass at the grape-crushing Roadblock.
That leaves two active passes.
Tracker category | Total |
Express Passes started | 13 |
Express Passes used | 9 |
Eliminated unused | 2 |
Active Express Passes | 2 |
Remaining Express Pass holders:
Michelle & Matthew
Conner & Garrett
Leg 6 is the final opportunity to use these advantages.
There is also an important restriction: the remaining teams cannot use their Express Passes on the same task.
That means timing could become critical.
If one team uses its Pass at a particular challenge, the other team may need to reconsider its own strategy.
For Michelle and Matthew, the decision is especially interesting.
They have already won two consecutive legs.
They also previously told other competitors that they had used their Express Pass, even though they still held it.
Whether that misinformation influences the next leg remains to be seen.
For Conner and Garrett, the question is whether to use their Pass early or hold it for a challenge that appears more difficult.
Neither team can afford to let the advantage expire unused.
Four Race Intelligence Lessons From Albania
1. Power creates both advantages and consequences
Michelle and Matthew used the Driver's Seat twice to reduce their own workload and increase the difficulty for selected competitors.
That helped them maintain control of the leg.
But it may also create rivalries that matter later.
2. The right time to use an advantage depends on risk
Ali and Joanna used their Express Pass when they were behind and facing a difficult Roadblock.
Saving an advantage is useful only when there is a realistic opportunity to gain more value later.
3. Alliances are only as strong as their expectations
The bunker challenge showed that teams may disagree about how much help they owe one another.
Clear expectations matter when cooperation could cost valuable time.
4. Navigation remains the ultimate equalizer
For the second consecutive episode, a team was eliminated after getting lost near the Pit Stop.
Even strong task performance cannot guarantee survival when the final destination remains difficult to find.
Looking Ahead: Eight Teams and Two Express Passes
Season 39 now moves forward with eight teams.
Michelle and Matthew have momentum after consecutive victories.
Daisha and Dalton are moving up the Race Board.
Conner and Garrett remain competitive near the front.
And two Express Passes must be used before their deadline.
The next leg presents an especially important strategic opportunity.
Will Michelle and Matthew continue dominating?
Will another team find a way to challenge them?
And which remaining Express Pass holder will make the better decision?
Albania reminded us that even when one team controls the difficulty of the challenges, it cannot control everything.
The road still matters.
The decisions still matter.
And sometimes, one wrong turn changes the entire Race.
Fan Pulse: Did Michelle and Matthew Go Too Far?
Was assigning the heaviest workloads to competing teams smart racing, or did Michelle and Matthew make themselves future targets?
Would you have made the same decisions?
And with Leg 6 approaching, when would you use your final Express Pass?
Share your thoughts in the comments and join the conversation at Around the Route.
For more Season 39 coverage, explore our Express Pass Tracker, Race Intelligence articles and Around the Route Podcast Episode 5.
The Amazing Race. Beyond the Finish Line.
Around the Route is an independent fan media platform and is not affiliated with CBS, Paramount or The Amazing Race.
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