Interesting thoughts Cygnus XI. Sorry if I repeat any of your comments but here is how I saw the episode and there are many similarities between our views.

This episode was a Comedy of Errors worthy of the 10 funny plays of the week! Almost every team made a mistake that should have been fatal if we were dealing with All-Star racers. They are All-Stars, you say? Are you sure?

Some teams had good legs:
Uchenna and Joyce ran a mistake free leg that started with Uchenna telling us that: “We believe that if we make intelligent choices and work together, we’ll be fine.” As soon as they arrived at the Calama airport, they teamed up with Eric & Danielle, Joe & Bill and Oswald & Danny so that: “All the teams had spots covered at the ticket counter” assuring the group the best tickets. They told everyone they would look for a way to buy tickets over the internet. We saw them purchasing tickets for the best flight but only managed to get additional tickets for Joe & Bill. The other two teams were shown understanding the situation.

They were on the first plane to Puerto Mott and they made their way to the fishery in Metri, where the scenery was “magnificient” according to Joyce. They arrived in 2nd place and Uchenna did the roadblock, He showed why this team was in a position to win their season. Uchenna easily raced through the roadblock but all we heard about it was Joyce saying: “You’ve got a system going. It’s working...That’s it, you’ve got it!” They were first off to Petrohué and the clue at La Maquina.

They stopped to ask for directions and it gave us a funny moment: Uchenna insisted on embracing the woman who gave him information even if he smelled of fish! They were the 4th team to get into a raft and the“River Wild” Detour was handled with no problem. We heard from Eric that they were doing well and we saw them briefly in the raft but we didn’t hear from them.

They made it to the Playa Petrohué Pit Stop without incidents, happy to have passed two teams and Phil greeted them to a joyous second place.

This solid performance wasn’t featured except for their smart work at the airport. We only briefly rode with the married couple but didn’t share any of their excitement except briefly at the Pit Stop. We didn’t feel emotions from Joyce about Uchenna’s handling of the fish nor did we share the boat ride with them. They haven’t been given any personal stories or conflicts with other teams. Nothing is done for us to cheer for this team which isn’t a good sign for their final result.

Eric and Danielle also had a solid leg even if it wasn’t always pretty! Danielle told us that “I think that Eric definitely forgets that this race is about me just as much as it is about him. I’m a girl and I’m trying to keep up with Eric, who is a guy, and I’m doing the best that I can because I don’t want to disappoint him.”

They trailed Joe and Bill on the way to the church in San Pedro de Atacama when they saw Bill get out of the car to ask directions. Hearing the information, they used the occasion to race ahead of the Guidos which didn’t sit well with Bill who told us that he did all the work. When they arrived seconds later at the clue box, Bill stood in front of Eric’s car to block him off. The point was made and even if Danielle found Bill “rude…He is such a whiner” the conflict was momentarily put to rest and both teams worked together at the airport.

The error they made in this race was to forget to give the security code of their credit card to Uchenna so they couldn’t profit from the ticket buying alliance. Eric still managed to get tickets on the first flight by secretly making a request to the ticket agent.

On the road to the Roadblock, we heard Eric tell us that the Guidos were sneaky to which Danielle responded: “Bill looked psychotic this morning. He looked nuts, he looks like a psycho.” The early flight got them to the fishery in first place. Eric “volonteered” Danielle to transfer the fish but it wasn’t “her thing. I hate fish” she said but after some hesitation, she did say “OK, I can do this.” Still Eric yelled at her: “Pick up the damn fish” yelled Eric. “Use your b00bs to hold them down…Quit being a baby…Use your b00bs.” Even Rob commented that Eric was making improper comments. (Rob! The guy who, in Marquesas, told a bathing suit clad Patricia to her face: “That is Naaaasty!”) Danielle lost 3 positions at the roadblock, showing again this team needed better strategy for the tasks. Nevertheless, the crying didn’t prevent her from completing the task in relative good time.

The road to Petrohué was the occasion to catch up with Romber. They teamed up with the Survivor couple and eventually beat them for first place at the clue box in La Maquina.

Stopping too early on the road to the rafting location, they arrived third at the “River Wild” detour astonished that the Blondes had beat them. We did spend some time aboard their raft and we heard their comments on the other teams on the river. Eric and Danielle arrived safely at the Pit Stop in third place and Danielle displayed her relief.

We are starting to see a story emerge for this team. Eric had told us that he raced with a strong partner in Jeremy the first time around and that he was anxious about racing with Danielle. She is out to prove that, despite being a girl, she can keep up and succeed. Eric being Eric, a chauvinist and a horndog, will be difficult to convince. The only way Danielle can convince him is if they finish at least as high as the Eric & Jeremy team did. Will she succeed? It’s still early to tell but she did it this time in a leg that some teams found nerve wracking. I’d put them in for that final leg!

Rob and Amber are great with the quotes so the editors let them comment the race:
R- “We are constantly taking chances, and trying new things and different angles.”
A- “I don’t care if the other racers like us or don’t like us.”
R- “We could-Care-less!”

R- “Amber and I were lucky enough to find the travel agency opened in the middle of the night. We were able to book airline tickets for tomorrow morning arriving in Puerto Mott at 12:55”
R (arriving at the airport)- “They’re all sleeping in line. When it comes time we’ll go over there at the last minute. Otherwise, we show our hand…we should be in pretty good shape.”

R (on the road to Metri)- “There all going to follow us”
A- “They sure are.”
R- “Should I slow down and let these guys go by and then see if they get lost?”
A- “Keep doing what you’re doing and don’t be distracted by the other teams”
R- “I know…There’s some signs. I’m feeling right. I think it’s this way.”
R (arriving 4th at the roadblock)- “All the teams are here, damn!”
A- “I think I can do it. (pointing to Danielle) She’s doing it”
R- “You’re doing great, baby.”
A- “I’m gonna smell real good after this.”
R- “Eric, he was constantly making comments. Not that I wasn’t making comments…‘go Amber, you’re a fisherwoman!’ but there are different types of comments…”
A- “That’s me, the fisherwoman…I’ve got them all.”
R- “That’s my girl, you smoked’em.”
A- “I don’t know if I could ever eat flounder again in my life.”

On the way to Petrohué:
R- “We decided to work with Eric and Danielle. I didn’t mind them. I have another team with me, that is my insurance: Eric and Danielle against Amber and I…any day of the week, we are the odds on favorite.”
A. (after opting for the River Wild” Detour) -“We’re going to encounter category 3 and 4 rapids. We’ve done some white water rafting before and I almost died.”
A (on the raft, smiling)- “OH! Boy, see what’s coming up! Whoooo, Holy crap! This is insane...Thank you, we had fun!”

A (at the Pit Stop, once Phil has told them they are first)- “Shut up, Holy crap! We rock!”
R- “I’ll trade them all as long as we’re team #1 in the 13th leg.”

Undeniably the stars of the first three legs. Rob continues to take unnecessary risks. Can he see that having an insurance, while boring, is a very safe way to race? This team isn’t ordinary and they would be featured in every episode notwithstanding their results. 3 first place finishes is outstanding in such a “miserable game(!)” and we have to consider them for the long run. However, I don’t remember Phil ever announcing in previews for the next leg that the “ending will have everyone talking.” I don’t think that even the 3 team footrace when Monica barely beat BJ to the mat had that build-up. Does Rob even see that 13th leg? He better make it pass the 4th leg first!

The teams seen on the “Top 10 Funny Plays of the Week”

Dustin and Kandice head the list with 2 major mistakes but a 4th place finish. How did that happen? At the start Dustin told us that they’ve learned something from last season: “We’ve decided to work with Teri and Ian who have proven themselves with directions.” Kandice told us that: “They are only 2 minutes behind so we will wait for them…There they are that is them.”
Teri told us that the girls were strong racers and Ian found that: “They are funny, they wiggled and giggled their way around the world. I’m totally cool with that!” Immediately the alliance ran in trouble with Dustin going the wrong way. The apology was accepted and the two teams made their way to the airport, trailing everyone else.

Both teams were on the second plane to Puerto Mott. The Beauty Queens hired a cab to guide them and shared the cost with Teri and Ian. That got them first place out of the trailing pack. Kandice held her own and even if we didn’t see much of her or heard much from Dustin during the task, we did hear Dustin tell Kandice she was awesome when they got back in the car.

Dustin again told Kandice that she was a great navigator when they saw a sign with the Amazing Race colors after reaching Petrohué. We heard the girls asking the guides if they had the clue or if they had to look for the clue while rafting. We also heard Kandice reminding Dustin to look out for a clue box. (After the sampan in Asia, these girls have trouble with water tasks!!) The guides never told them about their mistake.

They were the second team to reach the clue box and we heard their excitement of not having a detour to do and being directed to the Pit Stop. Despite their car stalling, all was well in their world and they had their best smiles when Phil told them they were 4th. “However, you did not pick up all your clues” Phil went on, “you need to get all your clues before I can check you in.” The smiles remained but the eyes were asking: “Ok, what do we do now?”

Did the girls panic? We don’t know but what we saw was that they calmly retraced their steps and figured that they had never seen the “La Maquina” clue. They encouraged themselves and quickly found the missing clue, confusing Teri and Ian along the way! We saw Teri/ Ian stopping to check their way after seeing the girls racing in the opposite direction! The confusion enabled Dustin and Kandice to make it back to the Pit Stop to a surprising official 4th place finish. “Take 2” was the good one.

After seeing them in two seasons, the girls are definitely strong competitors but they are prone to awful mistakes. How will it end? Are they always as calm when faced with adversity or is that the way they are edited? Either way, it has often served them well. They still have lessons to learn but they have enjoyed a very constant portrayal throughout this season. That should enable them to be at the starting gate in the last episodes.

Not to be outdone, Teri and Ian also had a difficult leg. They followed blindly the blondes in the wrong direction to San Pedro de Atacama. At the airport, Ian noticed Eric’s ploy with the ticket agent and asked if they could be put on Stand-by. They were advised to try once they reached the Santiago gate. Once there, they were one of only two teams that were shown taking a chance to get on Stand-by. It was the occasion for a run-in with Charla and Mirna. From the counter, Teri saw them approaching and warned us that: “Here comes the showdown!” Teri was offended that Mirna tried to talk to her person and Ian felt the need to call for security. The confrontation ended when the agent told each team that the flight was full. This incident was more about Charla and Mirna and I will return to it later.

The alliance with the Beauty Queens enabled Teri and Ian to reach the roadblock ahead of the 2 trailing teams. Teri went into the fish tank and we were shown her problems but Ian remained positive: “Hooray for Teri” we heard him exclaim.

The “River Wild” Detour was the scene of another incident. The camera angle showed the rapids swelling and engulfing Teri who went overboard. Dramatically, we had an underwater shot and gurgling sounds that were added to make us worry about her life right before a commercial break. On returning, the camera work again was very well executed: We saw a guide moving quickly to the front of the raft and pull Teri out of the water. Then, we were in the raft when all four members raised their oars in celebration. Teri had a confessional to tell us: “It was exciting to fall out of the boat.” We had to agree! The road to the Pit Stop was made confusing by the Blondes dash back for their clue but they had a good 6th place finish.

The bravery Teri demonstrated along with Ian’s encouragements at the roadblock have certainly completed the reversal of edit for this team. One could look at it and say that the debt TAR had for using them as villains in season three’s story has been paid. That could mean their story is reaching its end. Lets not underestimate Ian yet but it would be a surprise to see them reach the end. They are nicer persons than we remembered but they still lack in face time to be considered contenders.

Charla and Mirna are certainly used to draw our attention. Mirna said it herself to their guide in Metri: “Welcome to Charla and Mirna’s world. It’s a scary one!” Indeed!! They started off with determination, Mirna told us that: “If someone wants to battle with us, we’re not just going to be push-overs and step aside.” They were given some credit by the other teams: Kandice used polite words to tell us that “Charla has as a personality that is HUGE. She surprised us by being so bold and how she gets in your face!!” Bill said that: “They were a godsend” for saving them on the way to Petohué.

The rest of the episode was a demonstration of how to make sure the audience knows who the bad guys are. Charla was heard complaining that her height made it difficult to talk to ticket agents and then, only moments later, she is shown profiting from her size to spy on other teams. The confrontation at the Santiago airport was another in a long line of arguments: “Teri, you don’t own the world” Mirna said and when Ian told her she was being rude, Mirna added: “I took lessons from the king of rude: You!” All the while Charla was perched on the counter to try to get the agent’s attention. Charla concluded with a confessional: “There was no reason to be yelling and screaming at each other.” Not if the cousins had stayed in line like they usually tell everyone else to do!

Mirna was heard throughout the roadblock complaining that she was scared, that it was an impossible task and that she couldn’t do it.” How was it different than Danielle’s portrayal? Despite her aversion for fish, Danielle did reason herself to complete the task. It fit in with her wanting to prove herself in her opening comments. She accomplished the task despite Eric berating her and they were at the head of the group when it happened. Mirna knew she had to do the physical tasks for her team. She was never shown to accept the task and complained all along.

On the road to Petrohué, Charla told Joe and Bill: “Don’t screw us like the girls did” when they agreed to split the $50 they had agreed to pay the local they had practically kidnapped. It made me wonder if they didn’t know the difference between a deal and a demand. They never had a deal with the girls but we were shown that they considered themselves to have been screwed.

Not to be forgotten in the bloopers of the week, Mirna forgot the car keys after they had handled the rafting very well. They fell behind Joe and Bill and when they came back, they apologized to the local guide for looking weird in their bathing suits. That it was shown reminded me that we shouldn’t take these two seriously. Some of their rants are funny…As long as they don’t become the All-Star winners.

The editors are using this team both for their comedic value and their irritating personalities. They are the designated villains and as such should stay for a while. The danger with such a portrayal is that, while some viewers will wait in anticipation of their fall, some may change the channel.

Oswald and Danny had a fairly quiet episode but still had one of the quotes of the night when, approaching the Pit Stop, they noticed the small person acting as local greeter alongside Phil: “Charla is gonna be in love!”

They started off with Oswald telling us that: “Danny and I are two Cubans who came to this country with nothing. Sweetheart, if you stand in my way, I will run you over. However, we will not do it maliciously...” Their first mistake was forgetting to give the security code to their credit card to Uchenna which put them in the second plane.

They had trouble during the roadblock when Danny took a couple of nosedives carrying the fish. He finished well after Kandice and even had David finish ahead of him. “Promise me you’ll do more cardio” requested Oswald after it was over. They made another mistake after the rafting detour when they turned the wrong way, enabling the blondes to regain their 4th place.

They had their worst finish, a 5th place, but the leg went fairly well. The lack of airtime could be a concern if it repeats itself but they had already been well established as racers and there was so many incidents to show that it was understandable that some good teams could be forgotten. They still look like end game racers.

Joe and Bill had a “nerve-wracking” leg. Joe told us: “We do feel like the Godfathers of tough competitors. We can be smart, we can be fast and we can be ruthless. There’s no reason to minimize us because we are two gay men living together.” They had a small confrontation with Eric but it was quickly forgiven. Their alliance with Uchenna and Joyce put them on the first plane. They had the quote of the evening: When Bill wondered where Rob and Amber had turned, Joe replied “Maybe Rob went wrong. Rob is not Jesus!!” They were in 3rd place at the roadblock and Joe, the “fish whisperer”, finished ahead of Danielle. This is when he forgot to write down the whole clue. They started off looking for La Maquina not knowing it was on the road to Petrohué. Running into Charla and Mirna saved them and Mirna had to wonder if they were cut throat enough for the race.

They finished the detour in 8th place but climbed ahead of their benefactors on the road to the pit stop when Mirna forgot the car key.

We haven’t seen any ruthlessness from this duo. It is starting to be clear that there is no need to have another villain so we don’t hear any of the devious plans they may have considered. They are along for the race with nothing but a redemption story. That wouldn’t carry them to the end.

David and Mary’s story appeared to be ending when, in the recap, we were reminded they had no more alliances. Our eliminated team also had its share of mistakes, driving in circles back into the airport’s parking area in Puerto Mott and then missing the exit for Petrohué. Did anyone notice that when Mary mentioned the guides instruction: “Fall in : To me, that’s die” David had a big smile on?

Rob & Amber, Dustin & Kandice, Oswald & Danny and Eric & Danielle are 4 teams of strong racers that all have a story. They do look like our final 4 team. Joe & Bill, Teri & Ian and Uchenna & Joyce have been shown as good racers without much of a story. They should exit after getting a nice send-off. What about our villains? It is difficult to tell but we know the next leg will have an ending that we will talk about. If it is Romber’s elimination and if their fall is credited to Charla and Mirna as the previewed confrontation suggests, then we could have them grating on our nerves for a while. At least, they are sometimes funny. Would it be enough to sustain our attention?