In this penultimate episode, I have but one question to ask. Why in the hell didn't Uchenna & Joyce and Meredith & Gretchen look for a connecting flight from Istanbul to London? After they got a two-hour lead last week by looking for that better flight, this week these two teams stood pat and let Rob & Amber and Kelly & Ron get the better flights and the lead. I like Uchenna & Joyce, but clearly airport strategy isn't their metier and it was, among all the other things they can't do, the downfall of our Dandy Dons, who were finally Philiminated this week. I realize that there's always a risk that you might not make a connection, but there's a point in the race where you can't be satisfied to finish in the middle of the pack anymore.

To be honest, Rob & Amber deserve to win this thing. They excel in all aspects of the Race unless you consider making friends with other teams an essential part of the game. Rob can be a jerk, and while that bit him in the butt last week, he backs up his bravado about 90% of the time.

Highlights from this week's episode:

• Turks really are the nicest people in the world. Even after Ron & Kelly told people they were Americans, the locals were stilling falling all over themselves to give them money. I've met about a half dozen Turks and they've all been just sweethearts.
• I've heard the phrase "whirling dervish", but I didn't actually know what they were. Watching them slowly twirling like ghosts was so cool and something I wouldn't have expected to see on a reality TV show. It's moments like that that make The Amazing Race one of the best shows on TV
• I liked that teams had to solve an actual clue in London, even though it was the easiest clue imaginable (what street is associated with The Beatles - that's a tough one). Too often the "clues" are really nothing more than directions
• I also loved the task in London where teams had to spot the flag from high up in the air. It not only requires teams to stop and pay attention to details, but it also treats the viewers to some great shots of the city's skyline
• It was nice to see Amber's personality tonight. She's usually bland, so it was refreshing to see her decked out in the Sherlock Holmes gear and acting like a dork
• Was I the only one cracking up when the Dandy Dons were confronted with a detour where they had to choose between "brains" and "brawn". Heh, that's a hard choice when you don't have either!
• It's always a good episode when Phil utters my favorite phrase: "Teams must decide when it's most advantageous to go for it."
• Driving double decker buses was just a wicked Roadblock. I'm a good driver, but I would have sucked at that. I was bad at those bike safety courses in grade school, and this would have been a thousand times worse. Frankly, I'm impressed that all the teams did it in less than 10 tries.
• Normally, taxis are the more expensive, but faster, mode of transportation. In London though, the train was clearly faster. Taking the train helped Uchenna & Joyce make up a ton of time on Ron & Kelly and taking cabs finally, mercifully doomed the Dandy Dons.
• If Ron really would have gone back to the Roadblock and completed it just to prove to Kelly he could have done it better than she did, it would have been simultaneously the greatest and dumbest moment of the entire Race. I so wish he would have. Free Ron, people! Free Ron!

Even though I still miss my darling brothers, Brian & Greg, this has still been a great season. With the finale next week, we're in for a long TARless summer. And then, when it starts up again next fall, we'll see the family edition. So, Tuesday's episode had better live up to the hype. And, knowing the Race, I'm sure it will.

Don't miss Viking Pundit's extensive recap. Even though I'm not in Western Massachusetts, the fact that I'm in Wisconsin gives me access to an almost unimaginable range of beers. For the finale, I'm thinking a nice raspberry wheat sounds good.