"We were the last female team" - The Amazing Race contestant Erika expresses gratitude after her team's elimination

In episode 7 of The Amazing Race season 37, which aired on April 16, the mother-daughter duo Melinda and Erika faced elimination after a series of hurried decisions.

As they struggled to find the bracelet in the huge haystack, they chose to U-turn Nick and Mike, who they believed were the only team far behind them, when it was Carson and Jack.

Carson and Jack used this to their advantage and outpaced Melinda and Erika, eliminating the latter in the process.

The pair reflected on their elimination in an April 25 interview with GoldDerby. While they were disappointed about their final performance and exit, Erika said they were happy and proud that they could make it to the top six and pointed out how they finished their run as the last female team on the contestant lineup.

"We're just really proud of ourselves for making it to the final six. There were 14 teams, we were the last female team, and my mom was the oldest cast member — absolutely amazing," the The Amazing Race star said.

---

The Amazing Race stars Melinda and Erika reflect on their final performance

In the interview with GoldDerby, The Amazing Race season 37 contestant Melinda shared that it was hard for them to watch their last featured episode knowing what they would see at the end.

However, she clarified that despite episode 7 being "really difficult" for them, it gave them a lot of insight into their performance. Erika agreed, sharing her gratitude about entering the top six and being the last family team of the season.

In The Amazing Race season 37 episode 7, when the teams were making their way through Sofia, Bulgaria, they were told they had to travel on foot or use the metro system instead of taking any Taxis. The mother-daughter misinterpreted the clue and covered most of the distance in a taxi.

Reflecting on the misunderstanding, Erika shared that episode 7's leg was a lot of running. She noted that her mother was very exhausted, and if they hadn't taken those taxi rides, they wouldn't have been able to reach where they reached during the episode.

"After watching the race back on TV, both now realize it was all meant to be. "That whole leg of the race was a lot of running," Erika explains. "Ultimately, if we hadn't taken those taxis, I don't think we would have even seen people along the way as frequently as we did," Erika said.

The Amazing Race season 37 star continued:

"Also, my mom would have been so exhausted. For my mom to have the energy to absolutely crush it for her last Roadblock — as much as misreading the clue was such a doofus thing to do, it did ultimately prolong us and allow us to enjoy that leg of the race."

Later, as the teams raced toward the pit stop, they had to choose between two detour challenges. Melinda and Erika opted for the haystack task, which required them to search through massive piles of hay to find a hidden bracelet.

Melinda and Erika had already lost a lot of time in the previous challenge. Struggling through the haystack task, they realized they could lose, so they used their U-turn on Nick and Mike, believing they were the only team behind them.

This started a chain reaction, and Nick and Mike used a U-Turn on Holden and Han. Carson and Jack, who were actually in the last position, took advantage of the situation and finished the leg unnoticed. Melinda and Erika finished last and were eliminated alongside Nick and Mike, who couldn't even reach the pit stop.

Reflecting on the final challenge, Erika shared in the interview that they should have U-Turned Jack Dodge and Carson McCalley instead of the sibling duo of Mike and Nick Fiorito.

"It was so hard and Erika hesitated. I was like, 'No! You have to do it! It's do or die for us!' We really did not know anybody else was behind us," Melinda added.

---

The Amazing Race season 37 episodes premiered every Wednesday on CBS.