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It's down to the nitty-gritty for this edition of The Amazing Race, and the three teams remaining are probably a best-case scenario for having someone you can tolerate winning.

There's Ronald & Christina, and while Ron has lurched back and forth from being a colossal jackass to being tolerable, Christina is one of the best international racers the show has ever seen, seemingly never at a loss for at least a few words in the local language.

Then there's TK & Rachel, who have become the cutest couple on the race since Kris & Jon, and have managed to survive their own absent-mindedness to get to the final.

And finally there's Nicolas & Donald, and while Nicolas has been carrying his grandpa for the last few legs as dead weight, at least Donald gives us some cantankerousness, cursing a blue streak around the world.

The teams leave from last leg's Pit Stop, Taipei, and the producers don't mess around, sending them right away to Anchorage, and what the clue calls their final destination. They'll have to hit an outdoor supply store when they get there to pick up supplies for the day's events.

Surprisingly enough, there are direct flights from Taipei to Anchorage, and Ron & Christina finagle themselves a free upgrade to the departure lounge in addition to their tickets. Ron isn't simply wanting to suck bad some free booze, but has deduced that the lounge would have Internet access, which is pretty smart thinking.

TK & Rachel are close behind, but don't think to ask for the lounge. Really they're just happy to be on the same flight as another team after a couple of tough legs. They're joined by Nicolas & Donald, though this flight is really their only option. Not seeing Ron & Christina sends pangs of doubt through TK, who looks like he's just about to second-guess himself, until they finally walk up to the gate. Crisis averted.

Once they hit the ground in Anchorage, the race is truly on. Ron & Christina get seats near the front of the plane and keep at least some of their early lead, getting to the store first. They pick up their supplies and are sent to the imaginatively named Ship Creek Boat Launch. Be careful not to mispronounce that, by the way.

Editing makes it look like TK & Rachel are having some trouble finding the boat launch (head for the water!) because of their cab driver, but Nicolas & Donald are in real trouble, having forgotten their supplies at the store. Good luck stormin' the castle!

Ronald & Christina grab the clue at the boat launch, which is the final Detour of the race. The producers have upped the ante on this one, and neither choice is very palatable or easy. Both are related to what everyone in Anchorage does, apparently; fishing. The first task has them hack through a pile of cod for a buried clue, while the other drops them into a tank of 500 crabs to find one that has a clue attached to it. It's not exactly World Deadliest Catch, but they could end up with a severe pinching. Ron decides that the crabs would be too much of a pain, and they head for the cod. This one is really a disgusting task, and the fish are larger than either of them imagined. Only one can take the knife at a time, and Ron takes it despite saying "he's not so good with a knife". Ummm.... However, they get amazingly lucky and find their clue in the first fish, which sends them 60 miles by cab (uh-oh, Nicolas & Donald) to something called 20-Mile Glacier.

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