The Amazing Race 25: Week 3 Power Rankings
Power Rankings
By Daron Aldridge
October 9, 2014
BoxOfficeProphets.com
That last moment even prompted the episode title of “When you gotta go, you gotta go.” Fortunately for her and her mom, that "gotta go" didn’t also translate into elimination for them. The honor of being the second team nixed from the Race belongs to dating racers Dennis & Isabelle, who, frankly, had a fairly unmemorable run.
The episode did reintroduce the powerful Express Pass to one team and showed that the dentists are infallible, despite their claims otherwise.
Wring out your socks of river water and wade through this week’s power rankings:
1) Misti & Jim (Married). Team DDS sets the expectations high for themselves and in the premiere they delivered on those claims. This week…not so much. But that all-powerful Save in their backpack is a huge advantage that they get to sit on through the ninth leg. Last week, I surmised that Jim’s meticulous Roadblock skills meant this team wouldn’t find folly in silly errors. Well, I was a little off. During the punting task, they were only one of the two teams shown that failed to follow the instructions on who stood where. Even with that error and need for a do-over, they took second place on the leg. That’s why I think Mist & Jim are still in the power ranking pole position. They messed up and still lead the pack, plus they aren’t eliminate-able for at least one leg.
2) Adam & Bethany (Married). The newlyweds of Team Hang Ten or Soul Surfers seem to find a comfortable groove this past leg. Highlights: They stayed calm during the Detour, only needing one attempt, which was faster than any of the other teams (who, incidentally needed multiple tries). They sailed through the punting task without breaking a sweat. AND most important, they snagged the aforementioned Express Pass and still claimed the first spot, because they were that far ahead of the other teams. A great day’s work and now, as Bethany admitted, the Pass gives them leeway if they encounter a task too difficult for her to do because of only having one arm. If this is the beginning of what they can do, then Adam & Bethany may surpass Team DDS in my rankings.
3) Kym & Alli (Friends). In case you were thinking, “So, who was the other team that had to redo the punting task?” Here’s your answer. The Psycho Cyclists with their “No sleep ‘til,” “Brooklyn” shirts raced hard and didn’t let the bristly drill sergeant’s rejection and criticism diminish their fun-loving demeanor. Just like the dentists, the punting was a bit of a hiccup for them but they still had no problem staying in the front of the pack, despite excessive bowler-tipping for the final clue. Honestly, picking the top three teams for me this week was easy because these three seem head and shoulders more Race-capable than the others. But if one team might crack the top three rankings, it is…
4) Tim & Te Jay (Dating). Team TNT didn’t have as good of a week as they did one leg one, but that is not a horrible thing. Taking a bit more time than the others on the About Face, Tim & Te Jay seemed to use more practice time and less time trying, failing and getting berated. The boating task was equally as lackluster because we didn’t get to see much of their river experience, aside from Te Jay dropping his British flag in the water. So this ranking is based more on their first leg and the team’s ability to capitalize on other’s errors to get a better placement.
5) Brooke & Robbie (Dating). Speaking of “trying, failing, and getting berated” at the About Face Detour, Tag Team here proved to be the anti-TNT because they logged more attempts on the tasks than anyone else and the anti-Brooklynites because Brooke was near tears and meltdown due to the failures. Thankfully, for all his brash bravado necessary for wrestling, Robbie kept his wits about him and like a good teammate, he encouraged Brooke during this. And that is one of the reasons why I’m ranking them so high. Their attitude and team dynamic, so far, has been strong and they complement one another. Also, despite the Detour mistake, they powered through the next task and weren’t really in danger of going home.
6) Amy & Maya (Friends/PhD Students). Team Candy Crush had about as unmemorable of a week as Tim & Te Jay, but they, at least, can claim a solid performance in week one. That’s not to say the food scientists are bad racers or destined for failure, but rather that nothing has stood out as notable or worth putting on their Amazing Race resume when it comes time for casting the next season of All-Stars. The girls are sweet and likable but that doesn’t always translate to successful Race teams. On the opposite end of that likability scale, we have…
7) Keith & Whitney (Engaged). For a season of generally likable people, of course, there has to be a heel thrown in. And it appears that Survivor alum Keith is content to fill that void. There hasn’t been anything overtly despicable but we got a few nuggets of how obnoxious his personality can be this week. During the Detour, he proclaimed, “I don’t have to be nice…you be nice.” He was also the only one we got to see yelling at his teammate to hurry up as they rushed through the airport. Like I said, it’s not like he’s kicking puppies or anything but rather, he has the potential to be this season’s most disliked (by me) contestant. Sorry, Whitney, you lose by association.
8) Michael & Scott (Friends). The Boston FD team just seems over their heads. For a pair of guys that should be a physical force of nature, Team Office Fire just can’t seem to get it together. Or namely, Scott can’t. On the first leg, the brawny fellow failed to master the compass and shovel Roadblock, which resulted in a sprint to the mat and a four-hour penalty. And this week, poor Scotty struggled with making a pancake which then turned into many failed attempts and running and flipping a pancake. As long as the tasks skew away from patting your head and rubbing your tummy, he should be good. But we all know that "straightforward" and "simple" aren’t words typically used to describe Amazing Race challenges.
9) Shelley & Nici (Mother/Daughter). Poor, poor Super Fannies. This mom and daughter team have yearned for a chance at Race glory for so long that they seem to have been blinded by the prospect of racing and failed to see the need to actually prepare. Their enthusiasm and love for the Race is understandable (because I share the same love for it) but you need more than that. Two legs in a row haven’t really demonstrated that Shelley & Nici are ready for the Race. Plus, I am kind of disgusted by the whole “peeing off the side of boat in broad daylight, in front of strangers” thing. I mean she could’ve been more discreet by just jumping in the water and doing the deed.
Let’s see what’s in store for our intrepid travelers this week.