Alas. I was kind of rooting for the cowboys, and here they can’t catch a break for the entire leg. Or, rather, other teams caught breaks instead.
Taxi Assessment:
Stuck in the Desert and Officially Detained - or, Philiminated with extreme prejudice.
Amanda & Kris and Mel & Mike and Jaime & Cara and Margie & Luke and Ron & Christina - Already eliminated.
Jet & Cord (down from “Passing”) - For the third week in a row, the cowboys had to play catch-up, and this time they couldn’t quite make up enough time despite a valiant effort. The problem from the cowboy’s perspective was that Jet was the only Racer to not either run the Roadblock correctly the first time, or get a little help along the way. That put them far enough behind that no team other than the Globetrotters felt threatened, and so the only U-Turn used was on the cowboys themselves. If the leg had been more bunched up, it’s possible that Gary & Mallory or even Kisha & Jen would have also used a U-Turn, resulting in a stiffer competition for last place (although, in truth, a more bunched-up leg may have just gotten the cowboys U-Turned sooner).
Flat Tire - or, not likely to get anywhere soon.
No one.
Stopping for Gas - or, not broken-down, exactly, but not a good sign.
Kent & Vyxsin (holding steady) - Good for Vyxsin for dragging the rest of her team (literally! ha!) to their second top-three finish in a row. She seems to be increasing her Racing effort in just a little greater proportion than Kent is reducing his, and they’ve finished in the top half for two legs. But, I should point out, the last two legs were the only ones where Kent & Vyxsin finished in the top half, and that by only one place. It will take more than two not-horrible legs by one member of the team for me to bump up their standing.
"Rapido! Por Favor?" - or, making meaningless ineffectual comments from the back seat, but in no immediate danger.
Flight Time & Big Easy (holding steady) - The Globetrotters used exactly the best U-Turn strategy by U-Turning the cowboys to make sure they didn’t drop into last place. They were a little lucky not to get U-Turned themselves, especially after begging for the Roadblock answer and losing a couple luggage tickets, but the point here is simply not to be last. And they weren’t. This leg. However, there are only five teams left competing to get into the final three. Two teams won’t make it, and the Globetrotters seem to be volunteering to again bow out in fourth place.
Gary & Mallory (holding steady) - Gary & Mallory overcome a predictably lame Speed Bump, mathematical in nature, to finish in fourth place. That’s not so bad, considering they came in last at the previous Pit Stop. It seems to me that Gary & Mallory are just a little weaker than Kisha & Jen and Zev & Justin, so I’m leaving them ranked here; however, they’ve shown they can be competitive with either team.
In the Passing Lane - or, ahead of the pack, but not quite comfortably.
Kisha & Jen (holding steady) - A second place finish is Kisha & Jen’s best yet. Jen got a little help at the Roadblock from Justin, which saved her a likely fruitless search and long delay, so in some sense the top-three finish isn’t all of their own doing. Still, as I’ve said repeatedly before, Kisha & Jen have never some close to elimination, which is what these legs are all about.
Cruisin’ with Earl - or, drivin’ on the shoulder, takin’ shortcuts, and generally kickin’ butt.
Zev & Justin (up from “Passing”) - Two firsts and a second in the last three legs is enought to put Zev & Justin back on top in my book. The only fly in the ointment is that Zev’s done only three Roadblocks to Justin’s five, which will be important if the Roadblock-equality rule is still in place. Still, with a little taxi help, Zev & Justin are once again out in front for the entire leg. They seem to rarely make mistakes, despite their infamous blunder their first season, and have to be the favorite to win it all.
[sub]Props to Mullinator and his Raj Rating[/sub]
Next week: I am out of the country, with little access to the internet and (likely) none at all to CBS. Just so you know.
**Robot Arm **can come, too, in the hopes of getting to do a chinchillas vs flotillas detour.