March 08, 2005

How do Rob & Amber rule? Let's count the ways:

1. They asked what times buses arrive at the destination, not just when they depart.

2. By bribing their bus driver to only open the front doors, they, in fact, determined who would finish where in the leg (note that the top four teams were the teams that sat in front and helped bribe the driver).

3. By doing the bribing, but secretly not contributing to the bribe money, they had a little extra cash in what appeared to be a money-tight leg.

4. Showed excellent communcation skills throughout the whole leg. Language never seemed like a problem for them.

5. Realized that the shopping detour would cost them money to do. Some of the other teams were really done in by a lack of funds at that point.

6. Used their brains, not just their brawn, in completing the detour. I loved that Rob was able to use his construction background to figure out how to best stack the books so they only needed to make one trip.

7. Showed respect by not shouting in Chile's Library of Congress.

8. And finally, they seriously smoked the competition. In a leg that was designed to keep the teams together, they finished well in front of the pack. Some of the other teams don't like them, but this isn't a popularity contest.

So, let's see, Team Barbie (Megan & Heidi) were eliminated. They weren't that annoying tonight, but given that they were almost eliminated last week, it's doubtful they were going to be a competitive team anyway. No big loss.

I'm liking:

• Rob & Amber: duh
• Uchenna & Joyce: She showed a little more personality tonight. I like her and he's pretty good looking. That'll do for now.
• Brian & Greg: I'll overlook their Barbie-loving ways, because they still managed to show a sense of humor. These two are so athletic, but they've gotta learn to stop and use their brains.
• Ron & Kelly: Good job with the second place finish, although they do owe a lot of that to Rob & Amber. Last week, I thought they were just blander than bland, but this week he was really outgoing and cute doing the shoeshine roadblock and she's starting to show some admirable backbone. I kind of like that they're having problems with who is making the decisions. In the last two seasons it seemed like all of the male/female teams were dominated by the men. I'd be refreshing to have a woman be a more equal partner.

I'm disliking:

• Ray & Deanna: Team Backslide had a good leg and finished third tonight, but they really just benefitted from Rob & Amber's work. Ray seems to just dismiss Deanna. His body language (as well as his own words) says that he doesn't think he's part of a team. He wants to win and to him she's just along for the ride.
• Meredith & Gretchen: They are just so whiney. I almost thought they were going to give up when they couldn't find the pit stop. They lack gumption. What's wrong with old folks these days?
• Susan & Patrick: I liked this mother/son pairing more than last week. Patrick showed a sense of humor, which was surprising because he certainly looks like a humorless young liberal. But, I don't think they're long for this race. Their little meltdown over money doesn't bode for how they'll react when things really get tough.

I'm neutral about:

• Lynn & Alex: I loved these guys last week, but this week they ticked me off. The way they berated the fish vendor was absolutely unnecessary. They went out of their way to be dicks, when the nicer and faster option was just to suck it up and buy another fish.
• Debbie & Bianca: Honestly, I'm just "meh" about these two. I'll form a stronger opinion if they stick around for awhile.

All in all, great episode. I love when the teams are forced to interact with locals and deal with confusing situations (like crowded marketplaces & trying to sell shoeshines). I'm already looking forward to next week's show!

See Viking Pundit, for another take on last night's episode.

Posted by at March 8, 2005 09:29 PM

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