By: Kelly Kearney
After finally getting that surprising and much-needed approval from Frank at the Paley Center celebration of Who’s Making Dinner, Deborah takes a break from another round of trying to break through comedy’s glass ceiling for a chance to make DJ’s reality TV dreams come true. When the duo is invited to join the series The Amazing Race, hijinks, cheese tumbles, and clown costumes follow in what might be Kaitlin Olson’s Emmy-winning performance. Physical comedy is alive and well in DJ and Deborah’s D’Amazing Race.
Amazing Race Is the Rehab Deborah’s Career Needs
We open with Deborah (Jean Smart), Marcus (Carl Clemons-Hopkins), Damien (Mark Indelicato), and Josefina (Rose Abdoo) attending the Hospitality Olympics, scouting the best bed-making and sweeping crew for the Paradiso, which they’re now calling The Diva. A fitting name for a hotel-casino owned by the fabulous duo of Marcus and Deborah.
Following the “best bed maker in the world” competition, we head to the Vance mansion, where Kiki (Poppy Liu) is dealing a card game for Deborah and Ava (Hannah Einbinder). Gambling seems to calm Deborah’s nerves, and she has plenty to be anxious about when it comes to her career-defining gig at Madison Square Garden. The show must be perfect.
So when DJ (Kaitlin Olson) shows up like a whirlwind of excitement, pitching her dream of a mother-daughter pairing on The Amazing Race, Deborah is faced with a choice: help make her daughter’s dream come true and join the competition reality show, or let DJ down easy and focus on writing for her upcoming night in New York. Once she realizes the show not only helped DJ get through rehab, but would also air after her gag order is lifted, Deborah can’t help but see the free publicity in racing with DJ. Kiki and Ava agree: a reality show could clean up that Singapore scare while getting the word out about her legendary show. Sure, it’s tough to control the narrative in the reality TV world—which is why Deb keeps turning Andy Cohen down (burn!) but it could help rewrite the story being spun about her mental decline. Besides, with clumsy DJ as her teammate, the duo would barely make it past the first cuts. Free publicity and ticket sales for a week of mother-daughter bonding on TV? Deborah is all in.
Moving on from gambling and reality show racing, Ava and Josefina get into a conversation about the climate crisis ruining everything in the fridge. Rolling blackouts are a reality now—not that Ava’s noticed. She was too busy taking 12-hour naps after a full night of sleep and missed the most recent outage. Josefina doesn’t miss anything. Not the smell of rotten food in the fridge, and not the way Ava sleeps the day away—something that would normally be private if she weren’t shacking up with Josefina’s boss.. It’s really a family behind the closed doors at Chez Vance, which is why Josefina isn’t embarrassed by her lack of boundaries. It’s all love.
Cue the phone call interruption: Jimmy (Paul W. Downs) has news from the streaming exec who gave Ava that sight-unseen advance on her next script. She loves the Who’s Making Dinner reboot idea and wants to hear the pitch in person. Jimmy wants Ava to bring Deborah into the meeting too, thinking the reboot could be big for both of their careers.
Ava’s Making Dinner
Too bad Ava is dragging her feet on telling Deborah about it. After all the recent Frank reminders—and the pain of Bob Lipka and the tabloids trying to erase her—Ava hasn’t approached the subject of breathing new life into Deborah’s groundbreaking show. The wounds surrounding that series are still fresh, and Ava wasn’t ready to start poking them until it became a possibility. Now that it is, she’s going to have to tell her—but how will Deborah respond? Besides that little obstacle, the rights to the original series are currently in the hands of Kathy—Deborah’s angry sister. Getting those rights from her will take some convincing.
While Deborah is packing for The Amazing Race, Ava builds up the courage to tell her about the script advancement and her new idea. Shockingly, Deborah doesn’t freak out. She calmly listens to Ava’s pitch and admits she likes the idea, but she doesn’t want to be a part of it. She’s looking ahead now, not backward, but she supports Ava and trusts she’ll respect the original and make her proud. Ava can hardly contain her glowing beam of love for this new version of Deborah, who is more supportive than petty and competitive. There’s a trust building between the two, wrapped in friendship and a shared need to protect Deborah’s legacy. These two have come a long way.
Unfortunately, they’re going to need to go a bit further if they plan to get Kathy’s approval. The reboot idea is solely in her court, and after the last time she and Deborah interacted, any hope of fixing their issues died at the gravesite of their parents. Still, Deborah wants this for Ava and agrees to meet with Kathy to discuss the show’s rights.
So the duo sneaks into Kathy’s (J. Smith-Cameron) open house. Of course, Deborah can’t help herself and judges her sister—the realtor—and everything from the house she’s selling to the headshot on her business flyer. These sisters will never bury the hatchet unless it’s in each other’s backs. Kathy, paranoid about the PI Deborah hired who’s been following her around for years, questions how the duo found her, since she went to a lot of trouble to stay out of her sister’s line of fire. No PI involved—they tracked her down about business, and nothing more.
Salty Over Those Shakers
As the trio sits down to discuss the reason for this unhappy family reunion, things take an awkward turn when Kathy questions why they weren’t at A.J. ‘s christening. But they were there, and Ava brags she’s even the boy’s godmother. So is Kathy. What? How? She wasn’t at the christening! Deborah realizes DJ had two christenings—one for Deborah and Ava, and one for Kathy, the aunt who has always supported her. With that uncomfortable truth out of the way, they get down to business.
Ava needs the rights to Who’s Making Dinner, and Kathy—under the direction of her healer—refuses. Deborah loses it. The rights are for Ava, not her, so signing them over wouldn’t break their family blood feud. Besides, Kathy isn’t using them, and she certainly doesn’t need the money. After a few daggers are thrown about Kathy’s career failures and Deborah’s Singapore breakdown, the sisters reach a standstill. Ava plays referee, but their resentment for each other drowns her out.
Kathy finally admits she would consider giving up the rights if Deborah gives up her prized salt and pepper shakers—the ones from their mother. Both sisters started collections after she died and fought over a set made in the likeness of the Vance sisters: little blonde cherubs of salt and pepper. Kathy wants them, and she knows Deborah cherishes her collection. This play for those shakers might be more about hurting her than claiming a family heirloom. Deborah loses it on Kathy and accuses her of deliberately trying to crush Ava’s dreams. She calls Kathy sick—and then screams from the rafters: “This woman is sick!”
The meeting ends with Deborah apologizing to Ava for losing out on her big shot. She would pay anything to get those rights for her, but she just can’t part with those shakers. Ava gets it, even if she’s sad and now uninspired.
Putting the Kathy problem aside, Deborah and DJ strap on their backpacks and head to the celebrity family edition of The Amazing Race. DJ is over the moon about the opportunity and thanks her mother for agreeing to do it. Before the cameras start rolling, Deborah runs down the rules they agreed on: DJ needs to act ladylike on camera—no cursing, no arguing, nothing that will reflect poorly on Deborah, who is trying to polish her image. Just ask yourself, WWMD: What would Mommy do?
DJ might agree to all of that, but the energy radiating off her says her control is already slipping—and they haven’t even started the first race. She’s a bona fide fangirl for host Phil Keoghan who she truly credits for helping her get sober. It’s not the hundreds of thousands of dollars Deborah spent on rehab, but the hours DJ spent imagining a future where she might be sober enough to join The Amazing Race. Now her dreams are coming true, and she can barely contain herself, screaming in excitement at Phil—almost deafening Deborah.
Deborah and DJ are D’Amazing
After meeting the other contestants—a few influencers, sports stars, and the Property Brothers—the race kicks off with a clue that sends the women to Mexico. As much as Deborah hoped this experience would end early, her competitive streak immediately takes over every move she and DJ make—especially when she runs into young influencers, Trish (Trisha Paytas) and Jordan (Jordan Firstman).Trish, who is selling out arenas with her “really, really fast” talking and ASMR comedy, cannot read the room and has the audacity to compare whatever she does online to the decades-long career of a stand-up icon like Deborah. The cameras are rolling, so Deborah cringes out a smile and deflects every attempt from this woman and her partner to form a coalition. She politely declines, then grabs DJ, filled with winning vigor, and insists they have to beat those two influencers.
When they land in Mexico, all on-camera decorum is gone. Deborah and DJ rush through the airport, yelling as they fight their way to the next clue. When they arrive—and the influencers are right behind them—the cameras catch Deborah admitting she hoped they were stranded in Mexico or abducted by a cartel. No such luck, as the fast-talker is hot on their heels and ready to compete.
When DJ breathlessly opens the next clue, it’s addressed to “the big cheese,” and of course Deborah assumes that means her. It’s a physical challenge: one of them must race down a steep hill carrying a wheel of cheese strapped to an antique wooden rack. No falling, no dropping the cheese, and definitely no dignity preserved. The obvious choice is DJ—she’s fit, young, and has the energy of a rabid, cheese-carting chihuahua. She’s ready to roll, just hopefully not down the hill.
One by one, contestants launch themselves down the rocky slope. DJ takes her time, while Trish tosses caution—and her cheese—to the wind and barrels down. DJ is almost at the bottom when Trish’s fromage clips her ankle and takes her out. Deborah runs to her aid like any worried mother—only Deborah is more concerned with getting DJ back on her feet to win the race. Once she sets her mind to something, it’s take-no-prisoners. Unfortunately, her daughter didn’t inherit that same ruthless fire. DJ is screaming, clutching her leg, and making a full scene. She might not be a comedian, but she was born for the drama.
Speaking of drama, the Vance mansion security system catches what looks like a suspicious redhead—hood up—walking backward toward the camera to block it. She slaps a Post-it over the lens, and we realize what Ava is up to: breaking into the salt-and-pepper shaker cabinet. She’s almost caught when Damien, up late walking the corgis, crosses her path. Maybe it’s the hour, but he doesn’t clock her very obvious suspicious behavior as she backs out of the room with a flimsy excuse about a late-night snack. With the shakers in hand, Ava clearly has a plan to get those rights from Kathy. Surely she’s not going to go behind Deborah’s back and give Kathy what she wants…right? Ava learned an important lesson in Singapore about their friendship and how much they mean to each other. It doesn’t seem likely she’d betray Deborah—but this is her future. At some point, she has to step out from under mommy’s apron and make a name for herself.
Big Bad Ava Brings Backup
Over the years, Ava has learned a lot from the wars she’s fought alongside—and against—Deborah. She knows how to fight fire with fire, and takes those shakers to someone who can turn a forgery into a peace deal.
Back to the race, and DJ is hobbling but determined, already arguing with her mother about who’s taking the next challenge. If it’s food-related, everyone knows Deborah won’t do it—she never eats. DJ volunteers, but the task is to milk a goat and fill a bucket to receive the next clue.
Right away, their dynamic is on full display. DJ dives in with zero knowledge and even less concern for how she looks on camera. Deborah, meanwhile, tries to maintain some poise and urges DJ to learn from the man demonstrating the technique. DJ ignores her completely. She doesn’t need a man to teach her—her past-life regression therapy already told her she was a milkmaid who was secretly a princess. Deborah lets Cinderella do her thing, but predictably, it’s a mess. The two start screaming at each other, and DJ drops a loud F-bomb for the viewers. Deborah can only cringe as her daughter throws her entire body into this milking disaster. Meanwhile, Trish finds her calling and quickly fills her bucket and is into the next challenge. To DJ’s credit—and maybe her Vance DNA—she struggles but doesn’t quit. She keeps going until she finally figures it out.
Back in Las Vegas, Ava heads to local antiquities dealer T.L. Gurley (Jefferson Mays), who has a long-standing grudge against Deborah—and now her writing partner too. You might remember in season one when Deborah sent Ava in to strong-arm him into selling a priceless set of shakers.. Ava knows he’s capable of forgery and makes him an offer he can’t refuse. She snaps her fingers, and Marcus walks in—the owner of the Paradiso, soon to be The Diva, and a well-known entrepreneur who could revive T.L.’s struggling business. Antiques may not be hot with Zoomers, but Marcus’s hotel could change that. If T.L. helps Ava, Marcus will buy up a bulk of his inventory. T.L. hates Ava, but he loves the Diva idea, so he agrees. The entire exchange is hysterical, nuanced, petty, and bitchy—exactly what you’d expect from three queer people peacocking for power.
Back to Deborah and DJ, as the racers hit a detour. They can choose between smashing a room full of pottery, or learning a traditional dance dressed as clowns. Deborah immediately knows DJ will pick the clowns—and she’s right. They’re already behind, and DJ’s chaotic energy is better suited for smashing things, not mastering choreography. The argument escalates until DJ accuses Deborah of not believing she has what it takes. Which, of course, only makes DJ more determined to prove her wrong.
Send in the Clowns
Behind the influencers, Deborah and DJ suit up in full clown makeup and costume. The influencers breeze through the challenge, but the Vance women? Not so much. They barely get time with the instructor before they’re called to perform. Deborah is comfortable enough clowning around, but DJ cannot grasp the moves or charm the judges. Every mistake resets the dance, and by the fourteenth try, Deborah is done. DJ, somehow, is not, as she keeps going, fueled by pure stubborn determination. It’s equal parts impressive and mortifying.
As the hours tick by, every other team pulls ahead until Phill finally pulls the plug. He walks out onto the stage with the bad news: for this mother-daughter duo, the race is over. DJ gets emotional, praising the experience as the best time of her life. For her, it was not about the goats or the cheese, but how she got real time with her mom. And that means everything. Before they leave, DJ asks for one more shot at the dance. Predictably, they fail. It’s all sad clowns heading back to Vegas.
Back in Sin City, Ava delivers the replica shakers to Kathy, who is stunned that her sister’s protégé went behind her back. Ava must really want those rights—risking Deborah’s wrath when she realizes the originals are gone. For Ava’s future pain and suffering—which she leans into hard—Kathy agrees to call Jimmy in the morning and sign over the rights.
Meanwhile, in a Mexican airport, Deborah and DJ share a quiet moment. DJ apologizes for losing, knowing her mother is annoyingly good at everything, but Deborah doesn’t let her take the blame. She admits she’s never been good at failing, or at getting back up and trying again. DJ has a relentless stamina for getting back up after being knocked down, and it is something Deborah genuinely admires. “You’re tougher than me,” she says, quietly and proudly. DJ shrugs off failure and never cares what people think. That’s because the only person whose opinion she ever cared about was her mother’s. Hearing that, Deborah realizes something deeper: all those times she stopped DJ from trying new things, like learning the trapeze, or releasing a reggae album (which, frankly, we all deserve to hear)—she wasn’t protecting DJ from judgment, she was protecting herself. Now, facing critics calling her crazy and the pressure of Madison Square Garden, Deborah realizes she could use a little of that fearlessness.
Cut to the not-so-distant- future, when Ava fills Deborah in on her Kathy scam at the QVC studios. Deborah is delighted by this evil-bitch turn Ava has taken, laughing at the thought of Kathy crying tears of joy over those fake salt-and-pepper shakers. Ava just hopes it all works out, and that she made Deborah proud, and that the show becomes a success. After her time on The Amazing Race, Deborah admits she learned that sometimes falling flat on your face and embarrassing yourself is worth it. Even if the show isn’t a success, at least she tried. Who is this woman, and what did she do with Deborah Vance? She’s learning life lessons at breakneck speed.But they’re not at QVC to talk about Kathy or race to some grand enlightenment. Deborah can’t be on TV, and Ava isn’t there writing sales scripts for kaftans and costume jewelry. So what’s going on? Like a pair of oddball parents, proud as ever of their fully grown kid, they’re there to support DJ’s latest venture. She’s hosting her own show and selling her pull-off earrings to new mothers of handsy toddlers. Deborah Junior is finally carving out a path of her own. With a smile that shines like a rainbow—literally—she gets the closure she’s been searching for for five seasons with her mother, and the support of Ava, the second best godmother to her son. Everyone’s stories are starting to wrap up, reminding us Hacks fans the end is near, and most of us are not ready to say goodbye. The good news is, we too learned a lesson, that even if this show’s finale falls flat on its face (doubtful), fans will love it anyway.