Oh dear, no thread for TAR yet. Is this season getting too predictable?
Taxi Assessment:
Stuck in the Desert and Officially Detained - or, Philiminated with extreme prejudice.
Rob & Sheila and Amy & Daniel and Caitlin & Brittany and Gary & Will - Already eliminated.
Flat Tire - or, not likely to get anywhere soon.
No one.
Stopping for Gas - or, not broken-down, exactly, but not a good sign.
Rob & Kelley (holding steady) -
“Rapido! Por Favor?” - or, making meaningless ineffectual comments from the back seat, but in no immediate danger.
Jaymes & James (holding steady) - Oops; serious problem with counting in this episode. In addition, they don’t seem to be pacing themselves well: they were looking seriously wiped after the bamboo task. Granted it’s heavy work in a hot climate, but the smaller, older, and more feminine teams handled it better than Jaymes & James did. Although, I have to say, I’m liking this team’s self-deprecating humor: it makes them more likable, and, I think, helps keep them a little less tense in a stressful race.
Trey & Lexi (holding steady) - I’m really warming to Lexi - I thought she might be one of those high-maintenance deadwood female teammates, but she turned in an impressive perfomance at the bamboo task. I’m not sure if that will translate into winning enough to make the final three, though.
Josh & Brent (holding steady) - Navigation problems at the beginning of the episode dropped this team a few places, and problems with the Roadblock dropped them solidly into last place. The (not unexpected) non-elimination leg saved them, and the near-certain airport bunching at the beginning of the next leg will also help them out. The additional task in the next leg will be a time sink, though, even if it’s only a few minutes, so Josh & Brent will have to hope for another team to make a stumble. If they get through the next leg they should be in pretty good shape.
In the Passing Lane - or, ahead of the pack, but not quite comfortably.
James & Abba (holding steady) - James & Abba’s decision to take the Fast Forward last week looks really good right now. With no bunching point in this episode, they easily parlay their lead from the last episode into another first-place finish in this episode. On the one hand, their placement stems from only a single decision, so it’s hard to argue that it’s indicative of future performance. On the other hand, (ignoring personal issues) this does give them two low-stress legs in a row, so they should be in a relatively better position compared with the other teams.
Natalie & Nadiya (holding steady) - It’s important to remember that Natalie & Nadiya still hold the Express Pass they won back in the second episode. Although that may or may not have a huge strategic value, depending on how they use it, it surely has a huge psychological value: they know they can simply bail on a task if it gets too hard or if they’re running behind. They’ve been racing well, and with the additional Express Pass advantage they look likely to make it to the final three.
Cruisin’ with Earl - or, drivin’ on the shoulder, takin’ shortcuts, and generally kickin’ butt.
Abbie & Ryan (holding steady) - I don’t quite understand Ryan’s seeming obsession with scoring the record for most first-place finishes. First place in any one leg is nice, but it should take a back seat to getting first place in the final leg. Still, this team is racing better than the rest, so they should be favorites in the final three. As an example, they chose what turned out to be the quicker Detour option, in opposition the the conventional wisdom that the “lifting heavy things” option is usually also the quicker option.
I’m particularly sensitive to anything he does that seems the least bit ugly, though, given that I think he’s a huge douche.