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Well, last week saw the elimination of newly engaged Chad & Stephanie but my vacation meant a vacation from seeing the double U-Turn and Chad showing how S-M-R-T he is trying to be funny with the rest of you. So first, thanks to David and Kim for showing me how expendable I am by filling in for me last week. Second, I am sorry to disappoint them but my vacation didn’t involve a surprise Speedbump from Phil.

Fun side note: The family did attempt our own unofficial Speedbump in the form of a Disney World scavenger hunt (Copyright 2010 Daron Aldridge) to find and photograph names tags of someone from all 50 states. Alas, we only found 43. There’s always next time.

Anyway, back to the race at hand. This week we start off with only four teams and I am pleased that I correctly picked two of the four during my initial introduction/predictions. If my schedule isn’t off, then there are still two weeks to go after tonight’s episode, so I am thinking we are looking at a non-elimination leg this week.

In light of that anti-climatic assumption, I am ready to dive back into the race that picks up in Bangladesh.

• 8:25 a.m. – Jill & Thomas are the first to leave and hope to continue to reap the benefits of a huge lead. Phil tells us that in order to get to their destination in Hong Kong, teams will be taking a plane, a bus and a ferry. It becomes clear that their lead will not hold up. And then, the travel agency confirms it. The next flight to Hong Kong leaves at “11:55…tonight.” So, they head back to their hotel.
  
  
• 1:29 p.m. – Nick & Vicki leave for the airport. The couple’s interview allows Nick to express that Vicki has taught him to calm down and be more responsive to people. For the sake of the couple, I hope the lesson sticks but for the sake of the race/drama, Nick has been the go-to guy for explosive comments.
  
  
• 4:05 p.m. – Nat & Kat follow the tattooed ones lead and head to the airport. Thanks to Kat having traveled to Hong Kong before, this could be their chance to get back on top.
  
  
• 5:15 p.m. – Team HSN leave in last and are looking for some sweet justice for Thomas U-Turning them. Claire then makes a boastful claim that they are the first team to ever be U-Turned and survive. I don’t think this is true (I must research this). If it is true, the accomplishment gets an * by it because there were two U-Turns handed out and only one team could be eliminated.

Now, it is time for my seasonal rant. U-TURNs ARE PART OF THE GAME. Teams should go into every leg knowing that they could face a U-Turn, a task that involves something you are afraid of, and the prospect that you are at the mercy of transportation (e.g. cabs and planes) beyond your control. And another thing. Should a team that has regularly appeared in the top places be surprised that they were viewed as a threat? At their encounter at the ticket counter, I am 100% in agreement with Jill & Thomas that it was based upon who they viewed as the bigger threat. I would have probably had to flip a coin between Team HSN and the doctors but I can’t argue with their logic.

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