One of the things I don’t really like about the U-Turn is that, if used strategically, it drops the last-place team even further back, which is exactly what happened this episode. And that just sucks any excitement out of the finish, since it’s pretty clear who’s getting eliminated. Since the producers go through great and contrived lengths to bunch the teams up (see: Hours of Operation, etc), it’s kind of weird that they include this anti-bunching strategy.
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 and Tim & Danny - Already eliminated.
Nicky & Kim (down from “Stopping”) - With a Speed Bump to do and a U-Turn coming up, Nicky & Kim needed to hurry up at the beginning of the leg. They started out OK, at least until they had to accomplish an actual task, and then got stuck in the sand and remained in last place the rest of the leg. Getting U-Turned didn’t help, of course, but that was somewhat predictable, since some team (Tim & Marie in this case) was likely to want some breathing room.
Flat Tire - or, not likely to get anywhere soon.
Ally & Ashley (holding steady) - Yet another second-to-last finish for Ally & Ashley, who hit the mat behind even Leo & Jamal, who had to do both sides of the Detour. Ally & Ashley did have one bright spot on this leg, where Ally easily maneuvered their dune buggy past Nicky & Kim; however, their later navigation troubles more than made up for any time savings. They’re lucky that, once again, one other team had more troubles than they did. But luck can only carry them so far, and their minor skill set isn’t likely to carry them any farther.
Stopping for Gas - or, not broken-down, exactly, but not a good sign.
No one.
"Rapido! Por Favor?" - or, making meaningless ineffectual comments from the back seat, but in no immediate danger.
Leo & Jamal (holding steady) - I’m not exactly morally opposed to lying to other teams - it’s a Race, after all, and you don’t owe your competition any help - but I’m not quite sure why Leo & Jamal keep doing it. It’s like they’re the underpants gnomes of the race: Lie to the other teams -> ??? -> Win the Race! Sure, I like the third step of that strategy, but the missing second step is somewhat troublesome. Like telling Nicky & Kim how easy the task is benefits Leo & Jamal how? Nicky & Kim are going to give it a shot anyway, and are going to quickly figure out for themselves how easy or not it is.
Tim & Marie (holding steady) - I kind of love Tim & Marie’s predictable toy-robot-like need to hustle off in whatever direction they happen to be facing at the time, regardless of whether it’s the right one or not. Contemplative thought? What’s that all about, right? Of course, my kind-of-love is because Tim & Marie continually embarass themselves, not because action-over-thought is a winning strategy. This is exactly what’s going to drop Tim & Marie from contention by the end of the Race.
In the Passing Lane - or, ahead of the pack, but not quite comfortably.
Jason & Amy (holding steady) - Jason & Amy finish in second place one more time. Even though they haven’t won a leg yet, I’m liking their chances in the final three.
Cruisin’ with Earl - or, drivin’ on the shoulder, takin’ shortcuts, and generally kickin’ butt.
Travis & Nicole (holding steady) - I was going to ding Travis & Nicole for using the Express Pass when they didn’t really need to, because the Express Pass is more valuable for getting out of a jam than maintaining a first-place lead. Then I found out that (I think) the Express Pass must be used by the end of leg eight, which is this one