This is an odd episode, where all the important stuff–who comes in first and (even more importantly) who comes in last–is decided in one early task. All the other action in the episode decided the unimportant way that teams middle teams were scattered about.
Taxi Assessment:
Stuck in the Desert and Officially Detained - or, Philiminated with extreme prejudice.
Misa & Maiya and Dave & Cherie and Elliot & Andrew and
Kerri & Stacy - Already eliminated.
Joey & Danny (down from “Passing”) - And as soon as I started believing Joey & Danny had promise, they go and get themselves eliminated. Such is the luck of the contested Fast Forward: if you lose, there’s a big risk you’re going home. I had thought Joey & Danny had a pretty good shot at beating Dave & Rachel (and apparently Joey & Danny agreed), but Dave had the better bale-tossing/pile-building technique, and it’s Joey & Danny who go home.
Flat Tire - or, not likely to get anywhere soon.
No one right now.
Stopping for Gas - or, not broken-down, exactly, but not a good sign.
Brendon & Rachel (holding steady) - A pretty good leg for Brendon & Rachel, which by their standards means “low drama.” It also means low screen time, because, honestly, who wants to see this team unless they’re caterwauling at each other? Well, me, I suppose, if the alternative is seeing them when they’re caterwauling at each other. However, CBS disagrees and so here we are, and we’ll see how Brendon & Rachel and their caterwauling fare next episode.
"Rapido! Por Favor?" - or, making meaningless ineffectual comments from the back seat, but in no immediate danger.
Vanessa & Ralph (holding steady) - Vanessa & Ralph pick the wrong Detour option, but get a lot of help from having two teams go for the FF, and remain in the hunt.
Mark & Bopper (holding steady) - Not a lot of screen time from Mark & Bopper this episode that didn’t reference bodily functions or other men’s 'nads, but they ran a decent leg and finished in the top three.
Nary & Jamie (holding steady) - Nary & Jamie, Mark & Bopper, and Vanessa & Ralph all seem about the same level of competence to me. One of them, though, will make it through to the final three, and now that Joey & Danny are eliminated I’m leaning slightly toward Nary & Jamie. They made an error this episode in choosing the apple-in-an-applestack Detour, but they still had two other teams finish behind them, so it worked out.
In the Passing Lane - or, ahead of the pack, but not quite comfortably.
Dave & Rachel (holding steady) - Dave & Rachel grab another first place finish. They’re now tied with Art & J.J. with three firsts apiece (to zero by all the other teams combined). Although their overall performance isn’t quite as good as Art & J.J.'s, it’s still a darn sight better than everyone elses’s. I’m not so sure attempting the FF was a good strategy for this team, as the downside of losing it is far more negative than the upside of winning (witness Joey & Danny), but it did pay off for Dave & Rachel. Look for them to still be around in the final episode.
Cruisin’ with Earl - or, drivin’ on the shoulder, takin’ shortcuts, and generally kickin’ butt.
Art & J.J. (holding steady) - Art & J.J. continue their unbroken string of top-three finishes. They have a correct, if cocky, notion that their second-place on this leg is effectively a win, since they were prevented by the rules from attempting the Fast Forward. And that’s important, because they’re making a habit of making good decisoin and finding ways to beat the other teams.