In Soviet Russia, Cabbies Drive YOU!

Or something like that.

The Amazing Race producers really have a knack for driving the contestants crazy in Russia. This time around, they've opted for running through the streets in their underwear. It's not that Russia is known for this in particular. It's just that the producers felt like giving the locals a laugh. Or grossing them out. I'm not sure which one.

Either way, it's still better than those thousands of nesting dolls from a few seasons ago.

Week 5 Results
1st place - Margie/Luke (2x)
2nd place - Tammy/Victor (1.6x)
3rd place - Cara/Jaime (1.2x)
4th place - Mel/Mike (even)
5th place - Mark/Michael (.8x)
6th place - Lakisha/Jennifer (.4x)
7th place - Christie/Jodi (0x)

Compsonomics

These bailout people definitely have it wrong. Clearly, the best way out of a recession is more and more high-risk transactions. Margie/Luke's strong finish bumped up a lot of scores this week. It's such a shame that the previews spoiled it a little by giving them corresponding runners numbers to their ranks. Gee, why is Luke wearing 001 and Christie wearing 007 in the previews?

We did have a few players bust out of the game this week, though, either due to risky comp wagers or Christie/Jodi's poor finish: samboohoo, Molaholic, vince3, JanetFAN, and qwertypie. It was great having each of you in the game this year and I hope to see you all next time. Complimentary cocktails for everyone.

Just be careful of Max Headroom. Don't let him hog all of the drinks.

This week's Perfect Bet Award goes to four players. Congrats to KwietOne, flipxcyd, ARNutz, and taffnic, who each made All-In wagers on Margie/Luke with the 3.6x comp. It's super risky, but you can't argue with results.

The Greatest Gainer Award goes to beau_30, who moved 13 ranks with a comped Margie/Luke wager. Nice.

Leaderboard
1. KwietOne - 580
2. Yogi - 550
3. flipxcyd - 472
4. 5cats - 269
5. CTgirl - 150
6. tvgeek401 - 125
7. ARNutz - 123
8. sarah1234 - 119
9. louislam - 116
10. SilverStar - 109
11. taffnic 90
12. MzTee - 78
13. Higgs - 77
14. beau_30 - 62
15. vennui - 61
16. Weez - 54
17. dragonflies - 46
18. Belle Book - 46
19. jbenz - 44
20. Quepea - 44
21. suzzee - 43
22. IanQuentin - 32
23. Element King - 30
24. bbenzenberg - 28
25. esquire - 26
26. FFantasyFX - 24
27. Ontheroadagain - 22
28. LeftPinky - 20
29. shilfiell - 16
30. Estee - 10
31. popeave - 9
32. Snidget - 8
33. AddieRacer - 8
34. Jims02 - 8
35. kidflash212 - 7
36. Corvis - 5
37. michel - 5
38. HauntedOne - 1
39. samboohoo - 0
40. Molaholic - 0
41. vince3 - 0
42. JanetFAN - 0
43. qwertypie - 0

Comps are still going, as it is for the rest of the season. If you missed last week's entry, you can read the rules here.

The race for the top looks like a three-horse race for now, with KwietOne continuing to own the top spot. It should be interesting to see whether the top players starting tightening their wallets or if they continue to dabble in comp wagers.

Week 6 Payout Table
1st place - 2x
2nd place - 1.4x
3rd place - 1.2x
4th place - 1.1x
5th place - Break even
6th place - .3x
7th place - 0x

Getting a little crazier with the Payout Tables now that we're in the thick of it. I'd avoid those last two spots if I were you. Anything else is gravy, baby.

It's a good thing it was a non-elimination week, because now it's a perfect opportunity for everyone's favorite bonus game.

Bonus Game - It's PAT!

Well, not the SNL Pat, but it's the return of the Painfully Average Team, or PAT for short. It's the team that finishes right smack in the middle of the pack. In other words, the 4th place finishers. If we would've had this wager last week, the correct pick would be Mel/Mike.

If they wish, players may make an additional wager on the team they think is the PAT. There is a maximum bet and you may only wager on one team. All PAT wagers will be subject to the following payout table.

Bonus Game Payout Table
Correct Guess - 7x
Incorrect Guess - 0x

Max Bet - 15 points

And remember, you don't have to make a bonus wager. If you do, remember to put how many points you're going to wager, as well as the team you're picking.

TAR14 Teams Remaining
Cara/Jaime
Christie/Jodi
Lakisha/Jennifer
Margie/Luke
Mark/Michael
Mel/Mike
Tammy/Victor

And, as always, good luck everyone!

I've decided my strategy is to wait for everyone to bust out of the game. Me and popeave have this game in the bag.