Hey! I’m back, at least for a little while. Can I play?
Math! I knew driving a stick shift, conquering a fear of heights, packing light, and not losing your government-issued ID were all high on the TAR skill list, but I didn’t think we’d ever see fifth-grade math skills.
Taxi Assessment:
Stuck in the Desert and Officially Detained - or, Philiminated with extreme prejudice.
Misa & Maiya (Golfing sisters) - Already eliminated.
Dave & Cherie (Sad clowns) - Dave & Cherie struck me as a team that was focused on keeping a positive attitude. That’s not such a bad thing on the Amazing Race or in life itself, but, thing is, keeping a positive attitude isn’t an end goal in itself; it’s a tool you use to attain your end goal. A little less focus on stemming the tears of a clown and a little more focus on Racing would have done this team some good. Or…not, actually. Some remedial math tutoring would have done even more good, but look: this team clearly had the least aptitude of any this season, and it’s just as well that they get tripped up early by a surprising educational hole, because they were going sooner or later anyway.
Flat Tire - or, not likely to get anywhere soon.
Joey & Danny (Fitness Guidos) Hi! I’m all about image! Why should I bother to learn to drive a stick shift when my Granny offers and I know I’ll need it? Gah! OK, Joey & Danny aren’t complete dimbulbs, but I think they’ve spent long enough pretending to be such that it clouds their judgment. They probably won’t be the very next team eliminated, but I really don’t see them making it taht far.
Stopping for Gas - or, not broken-down, exactly, but not a good sign.
Mark & Bopper (Kentucky boys) A pretty decent third-place finish from Mark & Bopper this episode, but I’m a bit skeptical that they can maintain that momentum over the rest of the Race. Their finish order was pretty much set by their performance on Detour (and some bus luck), and the Water Detour was right in Bopper’s wheelhouse. They clearly have a wheelhouse, unlike some teams, but not all tasks will be so friendly, and I predict we’ll see a lot of, “we don’t do a lot of XXXXX back home in Kentucky.”
Elliot & Andrew (Twin guys) This is an alpha-male team that ought to be doing much better than they are. Sure, some of their performance is due to luck, but they haven’t exactly been burning up the screen with their competance, either.
Brendon & Rachel (Big Brother team) Brendon & Rachel actually have a second- and a fourth-place finish, and have spent pretty much the entire Race so far in the upper half of the competition. However, I’ve always been suspicious of teams with interpersonal-relationship issues. That type of thing might be little impediment on Big Brother, where travelling is restricted to “down the hall,” but there’s not that kind of downtime on TAR. I predict much erraticness from this team (ummm… duh? BB fans?), and that’s hard to maintain over the length of the Race, where a single bad leg eliminates a team.
"Rapido! Por Favor?" - or, making meaningless ineffectual comments from the back seat, but in no immediate danger.
Kerri & Stacy (Southern cousins) Kerri & Stacy are a fun team. I have a feeling that they might be a bit too flighty to make it into the final three, but I haven’t quite got a handle on them yet.
Nary & Jamie (women Feds) Nary & Jamie seem pretty competent, but I haven’t yet figured out just how much their real-world skills translate into TAR skills.
Vanessa & Ralph (Brunette divorcees) Vanessa & Ralph’s performance has been middling so far, although hurt in part by the bus issue this episode. However, I like their attitude, they look pretty good on paper, and I think they ought to be doing better than the final standings show. Right now, they’re my pick to sneak in as the third of the final three.
In the Passing Lane - or, ahead of the pack, but not quite comfortably.
Art & J.J. (Border patrol) Art & J.J. seem to be a step behind Dave & Rachel, but that means they’re several steps ahead of pretty much everyone else. They had a little issue with navigation on this leg, but they also had a clear reason to choose the Fire Detour, which actually wound up more than making up the time they lost.
Cruisin’ with Earl - or, drivin’ on the shoulder, takin’ shortcuts, and generally kickin’ butt.
Dave & Rachel (blonde & US Army officer) Dave & Rachel look like the best of the lot so far this season. A good attitude, work well together, and they even have a pretty impressive skill set on paper. They’ve got a pair of first-place finishes, so their on-paper skills must be translating into real life. And, don’t forget, they have that Express Pass. It’s a long Race and luck plays some role; having a Get-out-of-task-free card in your fanny pack can be worth an awful lot, if you can use it strategically. But wait: Guess what? Dave’s a military science professor at UW. Did you catch that? He teaches strategy. Literally. How awesome is that?
