LAST EDITED ON 02-27-07 AT 05:24 PM (EST)

Hello CTGirl. Sorry to repeat any of your points but I write my entry first in "Words" and then paste it here so I didn't see yours before I wrote mine. Maybe putting it together will help us see the stories. As with many episodes that force the racers to make ticket arrangements, we had many:

Confrontations

Some teams had verbal exchanges. Some teams even had internal frictions. Did the teams’ portrayal change from what we had seen? Which teams appear like long term racers? Those answers are starting to take shape.

The 2 Featured Teams

1-Rob and Amber were the stars of the show and especially in the first half. Leaving the Pit Stop, Rob told us: “The other teams have no idea what they’re in for! It’s not that I want them to be afraid of us. I want them to be preoccupied with us because it distracts them from what they should be doing.” Romber made separate arrangements at Quito’s airport going to Santiago through Guayaquil and Lima. Rob then told the ticket agent: “Don’t tell anybody else about this. OK?” That itinerary got many other teams preoccupied with Romber: “The race is about us and the course. It’s not about the other teams.” David and Mary asked if anyone had seen them, and assumed they had a better flight. The funniest example of a worried racer was Mirna who said she was looking for her Amigo and asked the ticket agent if Rob was on the same flight!

Rob and Amber were alone on the first plane out of Quito and were scheduled to arrive in Santiago at 1:50AM. Their wait in Guayaquil enabled Oswald and Danny to catch up but then, their flight to Lima was delayed. That caused them to miss the connection to Santiago by 10 minutes. “Within a period of 10 minutes, you can go from first place to last place” commented Rob. “It’s a miserable game, this race.”

They arrived at the Roadblock at the Codelco building in 9th place with still 6 teams present. Amber was designated to “Pay attention to details.” She did well, gaining two places for her team and even helping Eric and Oswald, telling both that the missing "H" was on a pen.

We then had a bunching point back at the Santiago airport. Rob got angry at Eric who went from the back of the line to a counter that had just opened. It gave us a rare scene; Rob got upset with Amber!
-Rob started by telling us: “Eric went from the back of the line to the new counter. I don’t have anything personal with Eric, I was just stirring the pot. The only thing I didn’t like about the whole situation was Amber defending him.”

-Amber told us: “It’s not that I mind Rob stirring trouble but he was so wrong that it made him look silly.”

-“ We’re a team over here, you’re supposed to have my back. There’s a method to the madness. There always is, babe!”
The smiles were back!

Their taxi sped out of Calama and arrived third to the detour at the Chuquicamata copper mine. As Rob told us, the “By Machine” Detour was made for him due to his construction work experience. Watching Amber drive that frontloader impressed Rob (and us!). “It was pretty cool seeing Amber behind the wheel of that frontloader. She did good. I was proud of her!” They were the first out of the mine enabling them to take their time to reach the Pit Stop, stopping to check directions at the intersection between the “Valley of the Moon” and the “Valley of the Dead” that would be problematic for many teams. They arrived first at the Pit Stop and then, we even had a happy dance from Romber. This team is on a roll but its “High Risk for High Reward” strategy is dangerous at this stage of the race The delayed flight proved it. It is entertaining to see them try to mess with the competition but boring teams have often won the race! They have to be considered good enough racers to reach the final leg eventhough CBS would use their fame for all its worth until their elimination.

8- Charla and Mirna were the second featured team this week but it wasn’t pretty! From stalling the car in a ditch to Mirna’s inquiries at the airport about Romber’s whereabouts, we were slowly building to a very dramatic display by this team. After being pulled out of the ditch, their alliance with David and Mary paid off a second time when Charla benefitted from Mary’s smart solution of the Roadblock. They had arrived at the Codelco Building in 7th place and left in 4th. They still were in the front on the way to the mine. Charla said it was a wonderful day when they passed Joe and Bill. Only seconds later, when they were passed themselves: “Rob and Amber. Of course they can go fast!” It showed how this team thinks.

Turmoil brewed within the team when the “By Hand” Detour proved quite a challenge for them. The stool incident showed that Mirna can also be mean to her cousin. Having dropped all the way to 8th place we were in for another meltdown:

The Road to the Valley of the Moon: Charla and Mirna followed their taxi to the valley. Dustin and Kandice followed them! Charla and Mirna decided there were no more free rides. When all three cars stopped, Charla demanded half of the $100 fare. The blondes refused and drove off. Mirna gave $20 to the taxi driver telling him it was all the money they had and wouldn’t be able to eat the next day. We then had a confessional where Charla tells us "Beauty is only skin deep. It's easy to make yourself beautiful with plastic surgery but to have a pure heart and to have morals is not easy to make up." To which, the editors cut to Dustin and Kandice “responding” with an evil laugh. From reactions in the east coast thread and the early “love lists”, it seems that Charla and Mirna’s actions weren’t well received. Laughing at their opponents is what started the Beauty Queens’ down turn in editing last season but it didn’t appear to have the same goal this time: We were supposed to laugh (or cringe) at Charla and Mirna, weren’t we? As Kandice said: It was scary!

If that sequence wasn’t enough, they broke their alliance on the road to the Pit Stop when they raced ahead of Kentucky. Mary lost all the esteem she had for them. This aggravating team has been given too many conflicts to be the next to go. This drama seems something that will be stretched over a few more episodes at least. They don’t have a winning edit for sure but they will outlast a few more teams with this “Drama Queens” edit.

The next 3 teams could be given: Best Performances by Supporting actors

2- Oswald and Danny: They got off to a solid start when Oswald told us that: “Danny and I have proven so far that we are here to compete. We hope we can keep that focus and be able to cross that finish line and be the winners.” They aren’t going to play the alliance game: When Danny joked that they should “pull over and wait for the other teams” Oswald replied: “I like them…but not that much!”

They were the only team with Romber to find the earlier connecting flights to Santiago. Even if they were on the second flight out of Quito, they caught up to Rob and Amber in Guayaquil. They showed some frustration at their bad luck in Lima which put them in last place at the Roadblock. Oswald got the solution from Amber and they left in 6th place.

In Calama they made quick work of the “By Hand” Detour which gave us one of the quotes of the night by Danny: “I must have been a man in a previous life!” They then made their way to the Pit Stop behind Rob and Amber. Except for the unnecessary risk they took with the flight to Santiago, this team was an example of the theme: “The Race is easy if you’ve learned from your mistakes.” Even if Danny’s manicurist might not agree (!) they didn’t exert themselves much to have another solid finish. Maybe they’ll have time for some shoppping! At least they enjoyed the sights in the valley of the moon.

6-Dustin and Kandice had a less then enthusiastic start. Dustin told us they are on another adventure but Kandice confided: “I'm not going to say that we were thrilled when Phil called 6th but it was like...OK.” Hearing them say they have to avoid taking wrong turns was a reminder of what happened last time.

They haven’t lost their desire to race: Dustin showed that she is a smart competitor by being the first to figure out that the majority of letters she found in the boardroom corresponded to one of the locations pictured on the wall.

On the road, sticking their tongues out at Kevin and Drew and later, laughing at Charla and Mirna could be seen as the return of the “Mean Blondes” but in the context, it appeared that wasn’t the intent of the editors. The first seemed to be done in fun while the second was justified by Charla and Mirna’s portrayal and the circumstances. The Blondes hadn’t asked the taxi driver to lead them to destination and asking for information on the map seemed reasonable. The demand for $100 seemed excessive when Mirna only paid $20.

The “By Hand” Detour showed that the race does require strength sometimes and their fall to 9th place is something to keep in mind. We saw that they rarely hesitate when they got out of the line of cars at the entrance to the “Valley of the Moon”. The road to the Pit Stop showed that they have learned from their mistakes. Soon after they had to decide on which way to turn, they stopped to ask directions. That move secured their 6th place finish. This competitive team hasn’t yet found the race easy but they have shown more caution in their travels. Are we seeing the return of the “Mean Blondes” edit? For now, their targets are teams that don’t appear destined to make the end of the race and the Blondes have been given the upper hand editorially. They seem to be in for the end of the race.

9-David and Mary: Mary had told us that the last race had taught her that she could do it on her own but they “like Charla and Mirna” so a new alliance was born. They gave them a hand by towing them out of the ditch. Mary showed she could be smart by solving the puzzle quickly and she shared the solution with Charla.

Mary wasn’t as smart at the Detour when she put most of the bolts on wrong: “What does it matter” she said when Dave tried to explain the proper alignment. “Whatever” she went on until the foremen showed them they had to start over. It got worse when, at the intersection to the “Valley of the Dead,” she said: “I would think right because it has the most words.” If Drew had taken a chance and turned around when he saw the Blondes coming back, Kentucky would be out of the race.

We saw some more negative traits from this team: The recap had been about their lying to the Beaty Queens. There was also David’s reaction when Drew called him out for trying to put his back-pack in first class: “Drew is playing dirty. He started it, so it’s on.” We also saw David’s expression when Kevin eavesdropped on Mary giving her Roadblock solution to the security guard. Was it Kevin’s fault if Mary said the solution out loud? Mainly, Mary’s continual nagging of her husband isn’t countered anymore by positive comments. Last season, we saw them as sweethearts despite her treatment of David but this time, it seems to be too much. Changes in editing can be subtle sometimes: We don’t see the positive confessionals they used to share, we don’t see the same signs of affection, so now they aren’t seen as “The Nice Couple.” David and Mary won’t last long in the race since they didn’t learn what worked best for them last time. They need alliances but Mary thinks she can do it alone!

Also Appearing: These teams didn’t get much airtime and it makes it hard to predict their outcome in the race:

3-Joe and Bill ran a solid race, never really falling lower than 5th. Bill did an excellent job of the Detour finishing just behind Dustin and jumping for joy when the security guard accepted his answer.

They were the only ones besides Romber to do the “By Machine” Detour. They didn’t read the clue correctly even if Joe insisted they both had to drive the frontloader. It forced them to do one more scoop after Bill had completed the mound. From that fifth place they overtook 2 teams to finish 3rd. Besides the argument about the detour, we didn’t hear much from them except that Bill needs a shower. These two are strong navigators and seem fit enough to complete the tasks they will face. They aren’t portrayed as the villains they were the last time. For now, that looks to be the extent of their story, one in which the editors show them in a better light, rehabilitating their image. Two guys in their mid fifties would get more airtime if they were to race to the end. Unless we see a consistent increase in their face time, they don’t appear to be there until the very end.

4- Eric and Danielle: Despite Eric’s opening joke getting crickets from the sound effect guys, the team got off to a fast start reaching the Codelco building in second place. Eric knew that: “Being in a relationship is added pressure but we haven’t had any problems yet so hopefully it stays that way.” It didn’t take long that a problem arose, Eric making a mess of the Roadblock, finishing 8th despite the head start. They kept their cool even when Rob tried to shake them up. The second half of the leg was much better when they completed the Detour in 4th place without incident. They kept that position to the Pit Stop for another easy, uneventful leg. This team is the one that can make it far with little airtime in the beginning. As a new team, they are a curiosity but certainly weren’t fan favorites at the start. An exit in the first 3 or 4 legs would’ve meant a quick introduction to satisfy the curiosity and then we’d see their departure as no great loss. That the introduction gets delayed despite their good results means the editors are slowly spiking our curiosity. That indicates there is something to build.

5-Uchenna and Joyce were off to a good start with Joyce saying they learned many life lessons the last time. Uchenna responded: “I can’t have Mrs. Right without being Mr. Right.I have to trust that she can carry her weight and vice-versa.” His patience was soon tested when Joyce thought she was good with details: “How difficult could it be?” From their first place arrival, they left the Roadblock in 9th. Uchenna showed his displeasure: “This is driving me freaking nuts…Unbelievable” he said. His facial expression in the car was seen in close-up when Joyce told us that she usually is good with details.

Despite that momentary set-back, they climbed back into 3rd place at the end of the “By Hand” Detour. Another victim of the wrong turn, they reached Phil in 5th place. Our analysts disagreed last week about the significance of their lack of airtime. I persist in thinking that if they were “2 times Champions”, we’d be seeing a lot of them. Their story has been told and there isn’t a new one developing except maybe a negative one if we are to judge by Uchenna’s reaction after the Roadblock. A negative story doesn’t fit with 2 times champions or even champions who came close the second time.

7-Teri and Ian were all over the place in this leg. From a 3rd position at the gate, they reached the Roadblock in 6th. Teri told us that: “Ian has an eye for detail. He was a police officer. He has a much better chance of seeing it than I do.” We saw it wasn’t easy. What would’ve happened if Joyce hadn’t helped Ian? Would he still be looking for the solution? (“Cold Case” was on TV later, so maybe he wanted to hand them the investigation!) He came out of the conference room with an honest assessment: “I didn’t do good at all on that one. My observations were just not good enough tonight.”

The same lack of observation hurt them after the Detour where they lost time driving around in their taxi to find the marked cars that were within walking distance. For a team that said the lesson they took from their first attempt was to “Stop, Look and Listen”, it doesn’t appear that their experience will make this race easier. They should continue along while the weaker teams get eliminated. On the positive side, they work well together. Maybe they can outlast one or two strong teams if those teams make mistakes but Teri and Ian don’t appear like end game racers.

Kevin and Drew were never able to defend their “legend” but they did get a big laugh when Drew asked Kevin “I have to be able to see you.” “I’ll be the big black thing in the middle” answered Kevin. Drew didn’t run him over but he almost dragged him across Ecuador when he accelerated after pulling out if the ditch!

The teams that have been given a story and have consistently been shown as good racers are Rob and Amber, Oswald and Danny and Dustin and Kandice. These three are solid contenders for 3 of the top 4 spots.

Who will join them? David and Mary’s future doesn’t look good since they have lost their nice couple edit but haven’t been shown as good racers to replace it. Charla and Mirna will be the “Drama Queens” that will outlast one or two better teams but not make it to the end. That leaves 4 teams, none of which have been given a story yet, for 1 spot!

-Uchenna and Joyce had a good story the first time so having none now isn’t a good sign.

-Teri and Ian as well as Joe and Bill had negative stories the first time but are “middle of the road” this time. We’d need to see a consistent development from one of them to claim that 4th ace. Is their lackluster edit all the upswing we will see? It is possible, although I could see Teri and Ian sneaking in by virtue of a mistake by a favorite. Bill told us not to underestimate Ian.

-Joining them in the middle of the road are Eric and Danielle. Since that is where they started, it leaves room for developing a story. Their strong showing up to now make them my choice to be the 4th racers in the final legs.

How do you see it?