The Amazing Race requires teams to master a variety of skills: driving a stick shift car, working the airport and toppling the language barrier. After tonight, I'm going to add rowing a boat to the list. Tom & Terry couldn't master that skill in the ocean off Vietnam and they were Philiminated. It's about time. They seemed like nice guys but they were a handful to watch and listen to.

Highlights & lowlights:

• The producers threw teams for another loop tonight by forcing them to listen for directions to their next clue. I thought this was especially fiendish considering teams couldn't fall back on phonetic spelling in Vietnam
• Because of this, teams fell apart trying to communicate with their cabbies. Rob & Kimberly were especially frantic
• I didn't like some parts of this leg. Luck played too big of a role. Teams with the fastest boat from Hydrofoil Harbor to the Roadblock got a huge lead because only three teams at a time could attempt to complete it.
• Speaking of that Roadblock, rappelling again? This is The Amazing Rock Climbing Race, is it?
• So guess who took the Roadblock for Peter & Sarah? That's right. While Sarah toiled away her complete asshole of a partner lounged around, shouted "encouragement" and leisurely sipped a Coke. Hate him.
• I thought the deciding Detour was great. Some teams (Tom & Terry, for instance) completely fell apart from the physical demands of rowing their little boats through a windy ocean. Other teams bickered (Rob & Kimberly, Peter & Sarah) but actually pushed through it and were rewarded with high placements. Some teams reinforced stereotypes that pageant queens are dumb by failing to read the damn clue!
• Most of the teams acted like ugly Americans tonight. I don't think they're jerks (except for Peter). Rather, I think they were all suffering from Killer Fatigue. It's been a long race already

Want more? Check out Viking Pundit's recap - coming soon.