The Amazing Race: How did Tucker and Eric end up skipping a challenge?

The Amazing Race Season 38 threw fans a curveball on October 1, 2025, and it came courtesy of brothers Tucker and Eric Des Lauriers, who somehow managed to skip an entire challenge in Prague. The mix-up happened as the duo darted through the city’s cobblestone streets and medieval bridges, only to realize they’d taken a detour, just not the Detour they were supposed to.

For those new to the chaos, the CBS series follows teams racing around the world, juggling tricky clues, physical tests, and mental puzzles called Road Blocks and Detours. The golden rule? Don’t miss anything. If you do, it usually ends in time penalties or worse, elimination. So when Tucker (fresh off Big Brother Season 26) and his brother Eric accidentally strolled up to host Phil Keoghan without finishing the challenge, jaws dropped everywhere.

Luckily for them, the blunder didn’t cost their spot on The Amazing Race, but it did serve as a reality check. One wrong turn, and even the most confident team can go from front-runners to facepalming on live TV.

What happened with Tucker and Eric on The Amazing Race?

Tucker and Eric navigated Prague's streets at high speed on The Amazing Race, searching for their next set of instructions. In the rush, they grabbed what they believed was the correct clue box. The clue directed them straight to the pit stop, a seemingly fortunate break that would allow them to skip ahead while other teams struggled with the challenges. They arrived expecting congratulations for their speed and efficiency.

Instead, Phil Keoghan greeted them with unusual seriousness. He informed them they'd taken the wrong clue and missed the Detour entirely. The challenge wasn't optional; every team had to complete it before checking in. The brothers' initial confidence evaporated. Phil immediately sent them back to find the correct clue box and complete the skipped task. Their potential first-place finish transformed into a race against elimination.

After locating the proper clue box, Tucker and Eric faced the Detour decision. The options included a memory challenge requiring them to match sequences and symbols, or a physical delivery task involving transporting 48 glasses through town. They selected the memory challenge, playing to their strengths. The task demanded focus and pattern recognition, skills that competitive gamers and Big Brother veterans typically possess.

The brothers attacked the challenge methodically, working together to identify correct sequences. Their teamwork and concentration helped them complete the task efficiently, despite the time already lost due to their initial mistake. What appeared to be a race-ending blunder became an opportunity to demonstrate adaptability. Rather than panicking, they refocused and executed the challenge cleanly.

After finishing the memory challenge, Tucker and Eric sprinted back to Phil Keoghan's location. The crucial question remained: had other teams fallen further behind, or would the detour cost them their spot in the competition?

They arrived at the pit stop still uncertain of their placement. Other teams had already checked in, but the brothers hadn't seen enough competitors to gauge where they'd land in the rankings. Phil revealed their placement: team number four. Despite the significant setback of returning to complete a skipped challenge, Tucker and Eric finished in the top half of the remaining teams.

Their recovery proved remarkable. Most teams completing challenges in the proper order still finished behind them. The brothers' speed in executing the memory task, combined with the struggles other teams faced, allowed them to salvage a respectable position. The fourth-place finish on The Amazing Race meant they avoided elimination and continued racing for the $1 million prize. More importantly, it demonstrated their ability to recover from mistakes under pressure.

What lessons did Tucker and Eric learn from this?

Tucker and Eric's experience highlights a central truth about The Amazing Race: pure speed doesn't guarantee success. Attention to detail matters equally. Missing or misreading clues can instantly erase time advantages.

However, the episode also showed that mistakes don't automatically end races. Teams capable of refocusing and executing subsequent tasks efficiently can still advance. Panic creates bigger problems than the original error. The brothers maintained their composure despite the blunder, completing the memory challenge without any additional mistakes. Their flexibility and quick thinking transformed a potential disaster into a manageable setback, proving that adaptability often matters more than perfection.

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The Amazing Race airs Wednesdays on CBS and streams on Paramount+.

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