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Squabbling siblings Justin & Jennifer: The fourth place third leg means little to me when there is still another team-hindering factor – years of not being able to stand each other. The train depot meltdown incident on leg two, I think, was the tip of the iceberg. Given time, they will be their own worst enemies.

(tie) Twins Liz & Marie and grandparents Bill & Cathi: These two are the bottom of the barrel to me because of how tight the race is shaping up to be this season. With so many challenges already placing the majority of teams nicely clumped together, these are the two teams that I see being squeezed out for elimination. Bill & Cathi (or Ma & Pa, as the others have lovingly named them) will be doomed if it comes down to a footrace and Liz & Marie will be gone if a task is too mentally challenging. Either way, one of these two should be the next sent packing.

Enough with my theorizing; let’s see if they prove me right or wrong as we start the fourth leg of the Amazing Race.

But first, the Phil-ography lesson this week is that Indonesia has more active volcanoes than any other nation in the world. Okay, kids, that fulfills the requirement to allow CBS to place The Amazing Race in the “Education” category on the DVR.

In the pole position at the temple Pitstop is Team Dude, who leave at 8:17 a.m. and are thirsty for an outright win that isn’t the result of a time penalty. They actually express some remorse that they got the win because Laurence really got them through the Roadblock. Just 11 minutes later, the father/son sailors leave.





With news that there are no direct flights to their destination city of Phuket, Thailand, both teams opt for one to Jakarta that leaves at 9:40 a.m. Curiously, they decide to just seek out the connecting flight to Phuket after they land.

To address the elephant in the room, go ahead and get it out of your system by giggling at the name Phuket. Yes, it can easily be mispronounced as to complete a ‘There once was a man from Nantucket’ limerick. Yes, I am not above laughing every time heavily accented Laurence says the name with just enough finesse that the censor’s nerves are bound to be shot. Hehehe…Phuket…never gets old. Sorry, back to the race.

With Team Test Drive Jeremy & Sandy standing on the mat, any possibility that our leaders would have air companions goes away when we see that this third place team leaves at 9:40 a.m. As the remaining teams three through eight leave we see just how tight the last leg was. The twins are the last ones and they leave just after 10 a.m. That’s less than half-an-hour difference between third and eighth.

The gaggle of teams that converge on the Air Asia ticket counter get the news that they will have to connect through Jakarta but all those teams also book their connection to Phuket that lands at 6:50 p.m. Not looking good for my frontrunners.

And such naysaying is justified. Team Dude Andy & Tommy and Laurence & Zac are disheartened to hear that the earliest connection (which, unbeknownst to them, carries all the other teams) is booked. So now they get to take another connection through Bangkok, which puts them in Thailand at 7:40 p.m., and no longer in the lead. This leg alone, these two teams have just about as many connections as your average Southwest Airlines frequent flyer.

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