LAST EDITED ON 09-02-10 AT 01:50 PM (EST)Always a pleasure reading Starshine's pre-race anaysis.
Andie and Jenna - Team Birth Mom/Daughter Given Up for Adoption. (Stunt cast #1). I just don't see a stay-at-home mom of 10 kids lasting long in the Race, plus Mom's too old and Daughter's too young and neither seem to have much in the way of useful race skills. Mid-race exit.
Brook and Claire - Team Home Shopping (Stunt cast #2). Loud, pushy TV home salespeople don't do anything for me. Could last long enough to be villains... but I don't think so as they don't seem to have any skills other than well-developed vocal cords. Early boot.
Chad and Stephanie - Team Colin and Christie Redux. Max's pre-race pick for this season's villain team, a bit young and inexperienced to last until the end, but they should be around for a while despite Stephanie being a former beauty queen. Mid-race exit.
Connor and Jonathon - Team Rincepton. A pair of dorky, a capella-singing college students? Not athletic, no skills, no hope. Early boot.
Gary and Mallory - Team Kentuckians (Stunt cast #3). Miss Kentucky doesn't seem as prissy as most beauty queens are, and Gary's in good shape for his age. That combination moves them up a bit on my list, though not too far. Mid-race exit.
Jill and Thomas - Team Bickering Dating Couple. Every season has a squabbling dating couple which does well in the race, and these two are this season's edition. Jill gets bonus points for being the cutest girl in the race, beauty queens notwithstanding. Final 3.
Katie and Rachel - Team Beach Volleyball (Stunt cast #4). Young, competitive, cute, athletic girls who have been a team for a long time, what's not to like? Except a mental error will do them in. Mid-race exit.
Michael and Kevin - Team Token Ethnic Minority. YouTube video expertise doesn't translate to race success, plus Michael's too old and Kevin's too young. Seem like nice people, though. Early boot.
Nat and Kat - Team Anethesiologists (Stunt cast #5). Smart, motivated women who work together well, could be a great team or could be terrible. My vote's for a strong team, and Kat can check my blood pressure any time.
Final 3.
Nicki and Vicki - Team Las Vegas Ink. Bartender and hair stylist, neither of whom have traveled before, claim to be misunderstood/misinterpreted, where do they keep finding these people? No chance. Early boot.
Ron and Tony - Team Token African-Americans. Well-traveled and well-spoken, they seem like decent guys who should be steady, drama-free race performers and are my dark horse team to do surprisingly well. Final 3.
Disclaimer: I'm not known for my prowess in pre-race predictions. Feel free to ridicule my comments. 