Hey Cygnus and michel – great minds think alike! This was a good episode. Everyone’s characters are coming out; we saw some foreshadowing and potential storylines in the future. Here is what I saw:

Rob and Amber

Rob and Amber have had an incredible run, and it’s almost too good to be true. How much longer can they dominate like this?! They are a strong team and are good teammates to each other. The editing is hinting that something is going to happen with them – either they take too big of a risk or they underestimate another team or the other teams gang up on them, or some combination of the above. Their opening quote by Rob, “We’re constantly taking chances, trying new things, taking different angles. I’m not really too concerned about what the other racers are doing.” Ever the good racers, besides Uchenna and Joyce, they were the only ones to think to book a flight by internet, Amber did well at the roadblock, and they enjoyed the rafting. But Rob is also getting distracted and cocky! When Rob wants to let Eric and Danielle pass to see if they’ll get lost, Amber reminds him, “Just keep doing what you’re doing. Don’t be distracted by the other teams.” Later they decide to work with them, “I don’t mind having another team with me. That’s my insurance. Myself and Ambuh versus Eric and Danielle, any day of the week, we’re the odds on favorite.” I don’t agree with Rob. He is underestimating his competition! At the mat, Phil told Rob and Amber, “Wow, you are three-for-three.” Rob replied, I’ll trade them all in as long as we’re number one in leg 13.” Phil later intoned in the coming attractions, “The ending that will have everyone talking.” Could they be eliminated? It’s also time for a non-elimination leg too. The previews show that they’ll be the center of attention next week.

The Competitors:

Uchenna and Joyce finished second, but it was another ho-hum effort. Uchenna said in the beginning, “We believe if we work together we should do fine.” This is a far cry from Uchenna the cheerleader in TAR7. They aren’t getting much of a story. When we see a spike in face time, I expect their time will be near. They have no story with Rob and Amber this time around.

Eric and Danielle moved up to third place this week. They had an interesting episode. In the beginning Danielle is heard saying, “I’m a girl trying to keep up with a guy. I don’t want to disappoint him.” I know that a lot of viewers thought she was being a wussy girl, but I took it to mean that Eric is such an intense competitor and good athlete that she has to try extremely hard to keep up with him. He is challenging her and she wants to do well for him. In spite of her screaming, she got the job done and didn’t lose too much time at the roadblock. Eric is a quiet racer, he is aware of what is going on around him, and takes advantages when he gets them. He heard that there was an earlier flight and he quietly went to change his tickets. When Bill called him on taking advantage of his directions, Eric responded with, “We’re in a race.” (I don’t remember being as aware of Eric’s racing skills in TAR9. I just remember him as being fast – quick - and horny!) He wasn’t very supportive of Dani, but it didn’t seem to bother her. Even Rob commented that Eric’s comments were “different!” Rob has a lot of respect for Amber, we haven’t seen that from Eric. Eric is the unquestioned leader of the team; he told her to do the roadblock. Part of their story could be coming together as a team (like Rob and Kim). Eric can’t win this by himself, there are too many other competitive teams, so Danielle will need to be a valued member of the team or they could fall short. He sent the wrong team in to do each of the roadblocks so far.

Dustin and Kandice had their highest finish, fourth, this week. They decided to work with Teri and Ian, because “they have proven themselves with directions.” (If that was the case, I don’t understand why Dustin was leading!). They’ve learned since the last race it is okay to make a short term agreement to help another team, unfortunately they are still making mistakes. Teri and Ian called them, “strong racers,” and when they missed the cluebox for the detour, they kept their wits about them and figured out exactly where they went wrong. The Blondes are good at challenges; how well they navigate in the future could decide how far they go.

Oswald and Danny had their worst showing, but we heard some of their strategy and how competitive they are at the beginning. Oswald, “Sweetheart, if you get in my way, I’m going to run you over. However we’re not going to do it out of maliciousness; we’re not going to hurt anyone.” Danny had a weak showing at the roadblock, but they made up time. They left the roadblock in 9th place, completed the detour in 6th place and by not changing out of their wet suits, picked up a place at the pit stop. Oswald again mentioned “more cardio” to Danny. The first time (in episode one where he said “I told you less martinis, more cardio) I thought it was funny. The fact that he mentions it again could foreshadow that they fall short in the physical aspect of the game. Even without a lot of face time, they still had my favorite quote of the night, which you mentioned Michel.

The Rest of the Pack:

Teri and Ian, like Uchenna and Joyce, their edit is a little flat. They seem to be running a few steps behind everyone else. They’re in good shape for their age, but I don’t think they can compete with the remaining teams. They worked with Dustin and Kandice briefly, but I don’t see that a huge benefit came out of it for either one. Teri hung in there during the roadblock and came up smiling after falling overboard. They still have spirit, but don’t seem destined to repeat as the oldest couple to make the final three.

Joe and Bill’s opening quote was “fighting words,” “We are the godfathers of tough competitors. We can be smart, we can be fast, we can be ruthless. There is no reason to minimize us because we are two gay guys living together.” And then they proceeded to mess up the clue and become hopelessly lost! Some of their previous villain edit came through this episode when they overreacted to Eric, called him out and blocked his car. Eric called them sneaky and whiners and Danielle called them psycho. The editing following up with an evil laugh by Bill. They showed a little pettiness so this could have been an effort by the editors to give the viewers the Team Guido that everyone loved to hate! Bill commenting that, “Rob is not Jesus,” was a great line and also sets us up for the fireworks concerning Amber and Rob next week.

Charla and Mirna are our villains for this season. They are having run-ins with everyone! I found it interesting to hear Kandice say, “Charla’s personality is huge. She surprised us in how she is so bold and will get in your face.” I felt that the editors were telling us how and why they are going to edit Charla. I didn’t start watching TAR6 until Schmirna was eliminated, but my understanding was that Mirna got the majority of the negative edit. They’re making a little person a villain and I think they want to do that carefully. That said, she was edited like a sneaky little spy at the airport, lurking down low to listen to conversations and then later peering over a counter! They were shown trying to cut in line over Teri and Ian, and Mirna’s oh so mature response to Ian, “I took lessons from the King of Rude… you!” Mirna also described their edit to the guy they practically kidnapped, “Welcome to Charla and Mirna’s world. It’s a scary one!” They are obnoxious, but probably not as bad in real life. They did help Joe and Bill and may have saved them from elimination. Mirna commented, “Maybe we’re not cutthroat enough for this game.” We’ll have to remember that line for later in the season!

Philiminated: Mary said it all the beginning of the episode, “It’s hard to race without your friends.” David is strong in strength challenges, but they just can’t follow directions well enough to stay competitive.