1. Carol & Brandy. As said in the other thread, I almost have to hope on them just to keep us from getting stuck with fifteen thousand more teams of dating California models. The current brains/personality combo doesn't hurt either.

2. Louie & Michael. I suspect this is strictly a short-term ranking: they're both flashing a warning sign to all Racers, and it reads as 'Eventually, one or both of us is going to say something so majestically ignorant that the only way we can justify it is to throw every possible witness in jail.' For now, they're coming across well -- but listen closely, and you can just about hear the time bomb ticking.

3. Monique & Shawne. I don't have a problem with people invoking their deity to inspire courage in themselves. I have a problem with people invoking their deity to wish dizzy spells on everyone else. So far, they're staying in the first category. (Carol & Brandy are getting perilously-if-jokingly close to the second -- and yes, I'm keeping an eye on them.) Is it too much to hope for two strong female teams? Of course it is -- but at least this way, I double the odds on my false hope.

4. Jody & Shannon. Need to start cashing the checks their preview cell and confessionals kept writing, but I'll let them stay in line at the bank for a little while longer. Bonus points for making the cops work for it a little and figuring out what Dana & Adrian did not: just who was supposed to be running that Roadblock for the good of the team.

5. Joe & Heidi. I can only judge them on what they've done so far -- and while everyone can hear the time bomb ticking on this team, it hasn't gone off yet. For the moment, they're tough and boring. Mostly boring. We'll be longing for boring soon enough, but until that happens...

(mind the gap)

6. Jet & Cord. All right, I'll move you up a very little bit for making up ground that well on what worked out to be a twenty-minute gap. (Adrian just made it feel like three days.) But stupid is as stupid does and last night, we got a very good look at just what your stupid can do. Either you improve fast or all the physical skill in the world won't make up for a lack of mental ones -- and once you hogtie yourselves, you're never getting loose.

7. Steve & Allie. In the right perspective, their little intrusion is funny. In the States, they would have been lucky to get away without being arrested. But then, we're dealing with a Cleveland Indian: maybe we should just feel lucky that Steve didn't wave his daughter through the doorway and tell her to run into the wall.

8. Dan & Jordan. There is no such thing as 'rocking the stereotype'. There is such a thing as 'being so annoying that I almost felt sorry for the team below you', and migawd, you totally rocked that. You rocked that so hard...

9. Caite & Brent. Upon further review, you deserved everything you got, it was only a down payment on what you actually have coming, and the next few installments are on the way.

10. The Two-Headed, Two-Neuroned Beast That Is JeJo. Her external brain pack is still on the fritz. Note to all those who happily ignore BB: the established names for these two in their season were Jeffoon and Jordumb. He can be tricked into following any available conspiracy theory as long as it gives him someone blameless to berate. She can be fooled into thinking night has fallen early if you put your hand over her eyes. They won a vacation, but don't feel too bad about it: neither one is capable of operating the lock on their hotel room and will pay the surcharge for breathing the air in the Honor Hallway. They are stupid. They are idiots. They are casual bigots, and won't things get fun when that comes out. They were so horrible that only two things could make anyone root for them, and Natalie & Kevin? Are not in this Race.

Die. Quickly. (Or sign up for your VH1 show. That's just as good.)

Out: Dana & Adrian. Might have been better off standing in a concrete riverbed staring at license plates.

Who read the application to these people, anyway?