Another TBC leg! That’s awesome; I don’t think there’s been two TBC legs on a race before, and I don’t think we’ve seen two non-elims this early before either.
Taxi Assessment:
Stuck in the Desert and Officially Detained - or, Philiminated with extreme prejudice.
Amanda & Kris and Mel & Mike - Already eliminated.
Special Guest Category: Drawing Chalk Circles Around African Kids - or, out of the car, wandering around, and seizing on the first random idea to come down the pike.
Kent & Vyxsin (shifted from “Stopping”) Just a terrible leg from Kent & Vyxsin, who should be grateful not only for the non-elim, but that there were enough bunching points in the leg that they could almost catch up. In some sense, Kent & Vyxsin’s performance can be pinned on whatever ineffective navigation process Vyxsin was using in Japan: their huge small-d-detour made them miss their flight, but it also made them hugely tired and stressed, which I’m sure contributed to Vyxsin’s meltdown at the Roadblock and Kent’s subsequent mishandling of their fanny-pack. But, on the other hand, as my wife pointed out: How the Hell do these teams keep losing all their ID and money? Why do they not strap on their pack and not take it off? Is this such a hard concept? In any case, Kent & Vyxsin are in last place, are forced to backtrack, may drop out of the Race because of lost ID, and are possibly facing a penalty for not following Race instructions. The only thing they have going for them now is the editor’s decision to feature them in the cliffhanger, which usually means their problems will be quickly resolved in the next episode.
Flat Tire - or, not likely to get anywhere soon.
Ron & Christina (holding steady) Ron & Christina score their second top-four finish in a row, which means perhaps they should be moved up from this category. However, the team is showing signs of an incipient breakdown (witness Ron’s freakout whn on the wrong bus), so I’ll hold off on a move for now. They certainly will have an advantage in China, what with knowing he language and all, so in the short term their future is bright. However, Ron is, rather hilariously, treating the Race as something of his own personal culinary tour of his homeland. I’m not sure I can totally fault him, but, you know, RAAAACE and all that.
Stopping for Gas - or, not broken-down, exactly, but not a good sign.
No one right now.
"Rapido! Por Favor?" - or, making meaningless ineffectual comments from the back seat, but in no immediate danger.
Jet & Cord (holding steady) Jet & Cord climb into second, and don’t exhibit any of the navigational or interpretational errors that have plagued them in the first few legs. No getting lost, a decent performance on the Roadblock, and of course the made-for-cowboys yak-saddling task. If this means that they’ve finally hit their stride, that’s great, but it’s a little early to completely absolve them of past mistakes.
Margie & Luke (holding steady) Margie & Luke notch a first-place finish, which is by far the best they’ve done this season (I just checked: Margie & Luke finished no worse than fourth on every leg of Season 14; this week is the first time they’ve done better than fifth this season).
In the Passing Lane - or, ahead of the pack, but not quite comfortably.
Kisha & Jen (holding steady) A quiet leg from Kisha & Jen, which is relatively normal for this team. Their de-emphasis makes me think they’ll become more important during the final legs of the Race.
Gary & Mallory (holding steady) Gary & Mallory finish in the top three again; they’re the only team to appear there three times this season. Plus, as Gary pointed out, they still have their get-out-of-task-free card, which I think is a huge advantage.
Flight Time & Big Easy (holding steady) The zodiac guesswork of both Flight Time and Big Easy was amusing, but I doubt it lost them much time. They finish comfortably in the middle of the pack. The Globetrotters haven’t been great this season, but they’ve never really been close to elimination, either. I’ll note, too, that they held the bus for Ron & Christina, which they totally didn’t have to do and goes toward evening up the score from last week’s fanny-pack tiff.
Zev & Justin (down from “Cruisin’”) Just when I thought Zev & Justin were unbeatable, they completely bomb the Detour. I suspect they’re not that far behind the rest of the teams, but they’re not that far ahead of poor Kent & Vyxsin, either. If Kent & Vyxsin get a little luck (because God knows they’re due some), Zev & Justin might be the team on the flip side.
Cruisin’ with Earl - or, drivin’ on the shoulder, takin’ shortcuts, and generally kickin’ butt.
No one.
[sub]Props to Mullinator and his Raj Rating[/sub]
