First time post.. but have been keeping up with the speculations for a while..

For a surprise ending... hmm.. I just don't think that Momily will get the FF and come in last. At first, yeah.. it definitely sounded plausible, and I was all for it... but I just don't think it will happen..

Here's my theory.. a real surprise ending would be something you may not be able to figure out while watching the show... I mean if Momily or Guido got the FF, and did manage to come in last.. we would be able to see any major screw up during the show which would cause them to come in last place... This wouldn't be a surprise ending, I am thinking.

How about this... what if a team is disqualified, or penalized with a time violation that causes them to be eliminated even though they weren't the last to arrive? It's a stretch, but does anyone else think it could happen... or the team that actually finishes last is awarded time credit due to a production error, and the 4the place team gets eliminated.

Call it just eternal hope for Momily on my part, but I think it could happen..

• RE: Maybe...,TeamJoisey, 11:51 PM, 11-10-01
• RE: Maybe...,Painterly, 11:53 AM, 11-11-01

It's possible the time credit/penalty scenario could change the order of the final two teams, but that would really make the production team look bad, and I think they'd create a different solution.

I can't see the producers ejecting one of the remaining teams based on a behind the scenes goof. And since the time penalties seem sort of discretionary, I can't see them assessing a penalty that would change the outcome. How could they assess a 20-minute penalty for taking a taxi instead of a train? Estimating the road not taken is just too arbitrary.

If this sort of thing does happen, I wouldn't be surprised to see Phil announce that the final two teams are tied for last, and neither is eliminated. That would certainly be a surprise.

I've had similiar thoughts about this unexpected ending when it comes to someone being penalized. I remember a couple of the teams were penalized a few episodes back but all they did was tack time onto their next departure. Not sure if there's a disqualification rule somewhere or not. I keep going back to the Momily interview with E talking about getting nasty if need be and Mom just wanting to beat the Guido's once. Not sure if producers are laying the ground work here.

I agree that we would see any major screw up as the show progressed but perhaps it could be something simple as on the very last leg to the pit stop when one of the teams in the lead suddenly encounters problems and the order of finish as it plays out suddenly shifts in the last 5-10 minutes of the show.

My head's spinning with all the possibilities...LOL Can't wait til wednesday to see it unfold.