‘The Amazing Race’: Sharik Responds to Negative Comments After Meltdown in Latest Episode, ‘Please Be Kind’
The Amazing Race Season 34’s Sharik Atkinson has come under fire for her behavior in episode 4 on Oct. 12. However, she’s not going down without defending herself. The young contestant took to Instagram after the episode aired on CBS to fire back at the haters with a reminder to be kind and understanding about the stress racers endure on the show. Here’s what happened during the episode and Sharik’s response to the backlash.
[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers from The Amazing Race 34 Episode 4, “Everyone’s an Artist.”]
Sharik faced backlash on ‘The Amazing Race 34’ when she wanted to quit
The latest episode of The Amazing Race 34 featured the second half of a Megaleg in Italy. Sharik’s father, Linton, did the Roadblock — assembling a bike at the Ducati Factory — during the first half of the leg. So, Sharik decided to take on the second Roadblock: chiseling out a sculpture hidden inside a block of plaster.
Many racers quickly learned that this Roadblock was harder than it looked. They had to get the smallest details to match the example sculpture, which meant filling in any holes they accidentally created while chiseling away. The task was very time-consuming, and Sharik was exhausted by the time she finished. After the Roadblock, she repeatedly told Linton that her arms hurt and she wanted to go home. She even got a bit “sassy” with her father as they worked through the next Detour, which saw them deliver food to customers in Florence.
Many viewers were critical of Sharik’s negative attitude throughout the episode, especially because that was the first time she completed a Roadblock. In a Reddit discussion, some users called her “entitled” and a “spoiled brat.”
Sharik responded to haters in a message on her Instagram story
Sharik must have seen the backlash as the Amazing Race episode aired, because she took to Instagram to shut down the hate. A fan on Reddit took a screenshot of an Instagram Story that she shared about the episode. (Sharik put her account on private mode after posting the Story.)
“If you have something unkind to say [about] tonight’s episode, remember that neurodivergent people exist and can be triggered by anything!” she wrote. “This was a 16-hour day with a major trigger at hour 12, so please be kind.”
It’s also worth noting that earlier in the episode, Sharik said she hadn’t done a Roadblock yet because of her anxiety.
The response wasn’t enough for some fans. In the comments of the Reddit thread, a few said that she wasn’t taking accountability for her behavior.
“I wish she still acknowledged that the way she acted was childish and unfair to her dad,” one fan wrote. “I know what she’s saying aren’t excuses per se and are legitimate reasons to be overwhelmed, but it does kind of come off as she thinks those are ok reasons to treat others poorly. To me it doesn’t seem like her attitude is fully a result of neurodivergence, but rather being a bit self-centered.”
On the other hand, other viewers accepted Sharik’s statement and came to her defense.
“Probably unpopular: people need to not be so hard on her,” another user wrote. “I think we all can think she was doing her dad wrong by wanting to quit, but something must’ve happened behind the scenes that pushed her over the edge. Some tasks are just too difficult for people, especially when they have a trigger along with it.”
Did Linton and Sharik go home in ‘The Amazing Race 34’ Episode 4?
Those who rooted for Sharik and Linton can continue to do so next week. They made it to the Pitstop with host Phil Keoghan in ninth place, keeping them in the running for the $1 million prize. Keoghan asked if Sharik wanted to continue, and she said she would do it for her father. Rich Kuo and Dom Jones were eliminated from the race.
New episodes of The Amazing Race Season 34 air every Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET on CBS.
