Overview
- The Season 39 premiere in Vancouver gave all 13 teams an Express Pass at the starting mat, and those passes remain valid through Leg 6 under a one-pass-per-Roadblock/Detour, first-come-first-serve rule.
- In Leg 1 on the Vancouver course, Erin and Javi used their pass at the stadium Roadblock and went on to win the leg while Dafina and Saran used theirs at the Detour to block others from using the same Detour option.
- Doug and Dylan used their Express Pass to skip the Paddle It Out Detour, several teams flipped canoes or struggled with the flag challenge, and brothers Zach and Nate finished last and were eliminated.
- The universal pass changes the core choice teams face: use it immediately to gain position, hold it as an insurance policy, or risk being eliminated before getting a chance to use it.
- Producers revived and expanded the long-running Express Pass—first seen in Season 17—to reset strategy on the show and create new tactical drama to watch unfold over the next five legs.