Sigh. No thread - must be CBS’s fault for delaying it so long.
Taxi Assessment:
Stuck in the Desert and Officially Detained - or, Philiminated with extreme prejudice.
Hoskote & Naina and Rowan & Shane and Chester & Ephraim and Brandon & Adam - Already eliminated.
Tim & Danny (down from “Stopping”) - Tim & Danny never really came close to competing for first place, and now they never will. I sympathize with Tim - the Roadblock was painfully difficult for someone who’s not used to singing, or familiar with sheet music or foreign words. And though you can improve with enough coaching and practice (as Tim did), that just takes time, and time was what Tim & Danny didn’t have enough of.
Flat Tire - or, not likely to get anywhere soon.
Ally & Ashley (down from “Stopping”) - Ally & Ashley are just looking (comparitively) weaker and weaker as the weeks go on. They did fairly well at the Detour, but just tanked at the Roadblock. Now, my comments above about the painful difficulty of the Roadblock still hold, but Ally & Ashley not only have never come close to compting for first, they’ve never finished out of the bottom half, coming in sixth, seventh, seventh, seventh, seventh, and sixth this week. So they haven’t exactly excelled at anything, and aren’t likely to start anytime soon.
Stopping for Gas - or, not broken-down, exactly, but not a good sign.
Nicky & Kim (up from “Flat Tire”) - This was a good episode for Nicky & Kim, who finished in second for the first time, and actually completed all tasks with relative ease. I’m still skeptical of their stamina and ability to last through the end of the race (they themselves even admitted they did well on this leg because it wasn’t physical), but I do think they deserve a bump in the rankings.
“Rapido! Por Favor?” - or, making meaningless ineffectual comments from the back seat, but in no immediate danger.
Leo & Jamal (holding steady) - This was actually a pretty good leg for Leo & Jamal, who were comfortably ahead of most teams throughout the race. They did have the weird “we didn’t U-Turn the beards” comment, which they justified because they could “get ahead” because of something-something crazy logic. No one believed them anyway, so I don’t think it matters, but still.
Tim & Marie (holding steady) - I don’t particularly care about Taxigate III or whatever, but I think this kind of underscores this team’s (well, Marie’s…) lack of forethought - they know they’re well ahead, so they don’t actually need that taxi, and there’s no surer way to earn other teams’s enmity than to pull something that’s within the rules, but unsportsmanlike that affects other teams. TAR isn’t an alliance-driven game, but throwing away the chance to get a little locational tip from another team (like when you forget to pick up part of the clue, Marie) for a meaningless few minute additional lead over the trailing teams is just dumb.
In the Passing Lane - or, ahead of the pack, but not quite comfortably.
Jason & Amy (holding steady) - A miss on the Fast Forward for them - I hesitate to call it a mistake, because the Fast Forward is always chancy, but still a potentially disastrous issue. Still, they recover nicely, and easily slide into fourth place.
Cruisin’ with Earl - or, drivin’ on the shoulder, takin’ shortcuts, and generally kickin’ butt.
Travis & Nicole (holding steady) - First place again, with Travis showing some unexpected skills. Plus they have the Express Pass. It will take some major mistake to keep them out of the final three.