LAST EDITED ON 11-08-06 AT 09:51 AM (EST)

Teaming up and breaking them down

I was the summary writer for the week and, as much fun as that is, it took a lot of time to get it ready, so my post is late. I see CTgirl and Beau have done a wonderful job analyzing this episode so instead of repeating word for word what they wrote, I thought I’d tackle it differently. For the summary, I wanted to do a caricature of the racers. I hope it can get a few laughs from some readers but what it did was force me to see the individuals more than the teams. Maybe it could give us a new look at these players. How have the individuals been portrayed? Does that give us a clue to the winners? It might:

The Uneven Teams
The Alabama Moms couldn’t be more different both physically and in character.
-Lyn is overweight and more relaxed. It was surprising that she was the one driving when we heard the Chos say that “Bama broke off. Team Alabama is independent-minded and we know that.” She was also the one
confiding, “It is a race, we’re friends but sometimes you do what you gotta do.” She also took charge during the “Long Sleep” detour, first reasoning Mary that the Fast Forward wasn’t an option and then ordering David around: “David, help Mary. Don’t just stand there.” She was the one that expressed the team’s feelings at seeing their best friends eliminated.

-Karlyn has not had nice clips. I was ready to bash her in the summary, but she took a back seat in the editing. Her main comment was about being a “Black Angel” but before we could attach any significance to that quote, the taxi driver’s reaction told us it was only a joke. Besides that, the Blondes ticked her off and she wasn’t going to work with them at the intersection. That is nothing new.

Karlyn’s role in this team is vital since Lyn seems to need to be pushed. We are seeing Lyn taking more control and that is new. A new development, at this late stage, is something to take note of. We know they will have an emotional episode next week from the previews and the new twist of scenes from home. It could be the end of their story and we have a multitude of reasons why this team shouldn’t win.

There is a chance that their story isn’t over yet since the conflict with the Barbies is still mounting. The other teams are now commenting on that feud since Kim laughed at the possibility that they may have to team up. We could expect to see a showdown, a race to the mat or a settling of differences. No matter what happens, if we continue to see more of Lyn asserting herself, we may have a big comeback story.

Tyler and James had appeared to be a balanced team for the longest time but we did have some indications of James being the weak link. Whenever we heard comments of being “Superman” or “Spiderman” or doing the difficult tasks such as rowing the sampan, it was always Tyler. Now we hear Tyler say: “James is too passive and I have to step up as the dominant role in our team.”
He’s also the one that is aggressive: “We haven’t been looking for an alliance. The six-pack forced us into an alliance. We’ve gelled with Rob and Kim from the beginning. We want to get rid of one of the 6-pack. We’ll make it a 4-pack,”
He shows again determination in Antananarivo: “Kentucky has a 30 minute penalty and we want to apply the knock-out punch.”
At the intersection it is Tyler who says: “We’re thrilled to work with Rob and Kim since we don’t trust the damn Blondes.”
At the fast Forward, Tyler is hesitant at first. We hear him agreeing with Kim: “This is so bad.” He wonders if they should go back to the detour. At least later, he is the one that makes everyone realize: “There is no way that they could complete a detour and a roadblock in less time than we can complete our plate.” His confidence turns into encouragements: “We can do this. Take your time, there is no need to rush.” Later however, it turns to arrogance: “We are going to be finished soon. We are good, we will be so far ahead of the others.”

James is much more insecure: “I have been disappointed that I haven’t given enough for our team. I want to show I can do a great job for us.”
Right away, his first chance was to read the map but that wasn’t successful and they wonder: “Should we wait for Rob and Kim?”

Proving he can do something, he turns into an all-star at eating cow lips: “At least, I’m good at something in this damn race.” It showed his frustrations for his earlier problems.
Gaining confidence, he thinks, “They are probably plowing a field somewhere, sweating and hating life.”

We’ve seen the models’ athleticism as a good reason to win the race. Their lack of character development due to their story being only about their recovery and then, the absence of any assurance of being determined not to fall back into the habit, as noted by Mavs_fan, gave us our first doubts about the models being our winners. That has been put aside lately but not resolved. The change of story line only brought more negativity and another reason for their demise when we were shown their poor navigational skills. James had one shining moment but in general, his poor performances could also be the reason they fail.

The balanced teams
The Chos are easy to distinguish by their appearance but their skills and characters are practically the same. Godwin is a little more demonstrative but really, neither is very assertive. They let the Blondes trap them into working together then they relied on them for all the moves and strategy. Dustin chose the detour, Kandice found help and the girls decided it would be better to find the house and come back for the mattresses. Even in previous episodes, they let Bama or Kentucky decide which detour should be done. There hasn’t been any tactics regarding the roadblocks, they simply alternate.

Kandice’s comment that: “We have always respected the Cho Brothers. They work like we do. They get the job done plus they have some beef, some muscles” could be a good sign except we know that part of it isn’t true. They certainly don’t work like the girls, always waiting for their friends, relying on their alliance. As Godwin had said: “We’d give up first place to help one of our friends avoid elimination.” If it wasn’t enough, we later had Erwin who reflected: “It is hard to compete against our friends because every step forward for us means they are further behind.”

Their glowing edit could be that the editors want to have a “feel good” story. Instead, for quite some time we have seen them has one-dimensional. They are good guys who aren’t out to do whatever it takes to win. Lacking complementarity and assertiveness should be their demise.

The Blondes
Kandice, on departing, said: “We’re not in this to have friends. We’re in it to win. We know that we probably turn people off.”
Dustin continued: “We’re going to be as kind as we can to everyone in the process of being competitive and running our best race. We can break free from these teams and run on our own. We can go much faster if we don’t have an alliance.”

Dustin decided to take another team’s car and Kandice worried about the rules. Dustin reassured her that the directions said nothing about keeping the same car. It was Kandice that pointed out that someone was going to be mad about switching cars. We also saw her laughing at their prank when the Moms were fuming.

On the way to the “Black Angel”, Dustin told us the 6-pack is playing hard today so they need to be on their A game. She also commented that they will beat the boys at their own game when the model’s car passed their taxi. I’d say she was proven right.
“Here comes Bama and Kentucky,” says Kandice. “ They hate us. Maybe the Chos will show up next.”
“We’re not going to ask them,” advised Dustin. “Don’t even bother.” They both run to the brothers, not leaving them time to see what is happening and strategize. In effect, the Blondes decided for the alliance.
On the way to the Detour, Kandice said: “You couldn’t have better team mates.”
The assertive Dustin told the Chos: “You’re glad to be on our side right now and we’re glad to be on your side. We’re all happy now.”
Kandice is happy to have the leader of the 6-pack alliance with them because one of the 6-pack could be leaving.

After the detour, Dustin also said, “It was good for the Chos because we are much quicker than Kentucky and Bama. For us, it was win-win, which is the way we like it.”
Dustin even tried to bluff the Chos at the Roadblock but they saw her clue.
They alternate in most tasks except for the driving which Dustin always handles while Kandice reads the maps. We heard she is awesome doing that.
If we remember last week it was Dustin that told a worrying Kandice they weren’t switching detours when they had some problems finding the sails.

This team is balanced but we see Dustin as the one making the majority of the decisions and talking about the strategy. Kandice is more the emotional narrator that tells us what they are feeling.

We’ve been shown subtle differences between the two, which is good to complete their edit. They do have complementary roles but they are still very similar in their physical abilities. When one couldn’t row the sampan, the other couldn’t take over. That almost tore them apart.

With Erwin telling them and us: “You guys are tough” it adds to the good comments we’ve heard from others about their racing abilities. It is part of the many reasons to see them as our winners. No one has had as much fun on this race as they have. When Kandice arrived at the Pit Stop, we heard her give a nice “Hi” to a dancing Phil. She then joined in the fun of the band by dancing with the locals. No other player was seen doing this!
In the taxi on the way to the Cathedral Andohalo, Dustin commented: “This was so much fun. I really enjoyed this challenge.” In contrast: The Chos had said, “It could be anywhere” when they arrived at the stairs. Mary found it hard and said so. Lyn’s expression showed she didn’t appreciate the search.

“The Race is fun” was last year’s theme but it isn’t a steadfast rule that “A Tough Race” can’t also be fun!

We have to remember they could be having too much fun. With every team now against them, they are set up for a Yield. They’ve been shown as the best racers in this bunch but that could be to set up a big fall. Looking at the CBS polls and Arnutz’ list, they are among the favorites. Many favorites are given good edits to draw reactions when they are eliminated.

Coming Together
Their arguments make them look like less than ideal racers but Rob and Kim do form an efficient team.
Before leaving the Chateau, Rob is all cuddly. Kim tells us, “We are still learning, trying to communicate without arguing. It is back and forth, one day we do well and one day it’s one argument after another.”
Rob agrees, “We are doing better.”
Kim smiles at the camera.

The Buddy alliance is formed again before leaving for the airport. The models didn’t know where to go but Rob has more navigational skills and he guides them in the right direction. They are part of the buddy alliance but they still aren’t the one talking about it. Even at the “Intersection”, the plan is Tyler’s. We can still view Rob and Kim as independent racers.

For them, the race has always been tough. Remember Kim’s pain was focused on when she fell off the horse in Mongolia, whereas Kandice brushed off being pulled by the ankle. This time, at the FF: “It was disgusting,” Kim said. “The hair was on it. There was fat on it and teeth were still there.” She needed the bucket many times before finishing her plate.

Rob was still working on his plate but we heard him reflecting about his relationship with Kim: “This race is good for Kim and I because it gives us a good gauge of when it is good to push each other and when to ease up. Sometimes you need a kick in the butt, sometimes you need to let off and let them experience what they are going through .” That is an improvement.
Rob admires his partner: “She is awesome,” he says. “No way can the other teams be ahead of us.”
“She is like a machine,” agrees Tyler.
After it is over, Rob gives Kim a big kiss while sitting in the taxi.

This team has shown numerous reasons why they shouldn’t be the winners. In Madagascar, we had another prime example when Rob tells us, “The locals die a lot younger than us. They don’t have enough proteins so their brains don’t develop as much. The brain needs protein.” Kim has had many of those ignorant comments but is that enough to rule them out?

They do complement each other better than anyone in the race. He is good at navigating and probably as strong as any other guy. She may be the strongest woman as we saw on some occasions and she can be very decisive. She told Rob they shouldn’t stay at the salt hills but needed to go do the “Treasure Hunt” Detour last time. This time, she’s the one that tells us they want one of the 6-pack to be eliminated. We know she is taking more control of the team. Rob said she was thriving in that role. Erwin had told us she had game in episode #1, now Tyler says she is like a machine.

It wouldn’t be a popular win like last season’s. Since even the hippies couldn’t redress the ratings, maybe a controversial win isn’t seen with apprehension. They are the team that has received the most attention from the editors to show them as good racers besides the Blondes.