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Chad & Stephanie confirm with their water truck driver that he can’t help them find the home address. They are only a few minutes ahead of Jill & Thomas. It is the same case for third and fourth place with Nick & Vicki and Team HSN.

Way back in fifth place are the doctors and Kat does their Roadblock because of a deal they made that she would take any tasks that were height–related. Even farther back in sixth (last) place are a regretful Gary and a sobbing, apologetic Mallory. Short of a complete implosion by the doctors, who have, until this week, been fairly flawless in executing on the race, Gary & Mallory are too far back in the pack to not be last.

As Jill & Thomas search for their delivery house, they get some assistance from a local who says to follow them. Come to find out, the good Samaritan is the cousin of their delivery home owner. It’s either sheer coincidence or a plant by the family that the teams and their cameraman will be there on that day. The non-engaged couple has eked past Chad & Stephanie but not enough to get cocky. The teams are now pointed to the Muttrah Souq market, where they have to find a store to pick up frankincense and then locate a vendor dressed by Ali Baba.

Still mirroring the leaders, Nick & Vicki are only minutes in front of Team HSN at the Water Table task. Wouldn’t you know, Kat is still looking for Aladdin’s lamp and Gary & Mallory have finished their tour of Oman and are at the first task of the leg. That’s right, folks, the daddy/daughter team is the only threat to their own survival in this Race.

Anyway, Kat’s long-suffering search for the ring to complete the Roadblock has concluded and as they drive off, father and daughter show up. I don’t know if she is the queen of the hyperbole or not but Mallory confesses to their safety driver that they had been driving around lost for nine hours!!! That cannot be right but given the exasperation on Gary’s face, it is probably true. Overall, the theme of this leg could be “Passing by” because it seems that for every task one team is barely ahead of the competition and we are treated to many shots of teams zooming past the team right behind them.

At the market, Jill & Thomas are looking to solidify their place on the leader board by finding “Ali Baba” first. It’s off to the pitstop at Al Alam Palace but Chad & Stephanie are still right behind them. In Thomas’s haste he makes the decision to enlist a cabbie to follow. While the audience isn’t told this rule as it is usually called out, he of the arched-eyebrow explains their mistake when he is unable to check them in as first. They are slapped with a Michael & Kevin-worthy one hour penalty. This allows Chad & Stephanie to claim first and a trip (possibly for a honeymoon).

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