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Eleven minutes behind the first place contestants are their allies, Flight Time & Big Easy. While Zev & Justin point out that their confidence is high due to their finishing first more than any other team, we think the real genius of their play this season is befriending the Globetrotters. They'll have front row seats to enjoy with their kids for the rest of their lives! Now, if only they could convince some women to breed with them...

The Globetrotters state something interesting as they depart. They note that there has been information shared between four of the teams. There is no mention of the Angry Goths, but they specifically address the fact that the cowboys, Jet & Cord, are running an "independent race." With only six teams remaining the isolationist strategy is a risky play.

Twenty-five minutes later, Kent & Vyxsix are ready to race. Remember a few seasons ago when they worked so hard to prove you should not judge a book by its cover? They were all sunny optimism and wide-eyed positivity. Let this be a cautionary tale on the nature of relationships, folks. The newness phase of their relationship is over and the thrill is gone. Now, they are a bickering couple who have no business being together but are afraid to break up for fear that they will not find another partner with the same shared love of makeup. So, they muster up their courage and start the day with a fake smile the way so many unhappy couples do. In fact, Vyxsin even throws in a fist pump to show her conviction. We've all been in this relationship. Except Zev & Justin.

Ten minutes later, the sisters exit the Sound of Music mansion. A minute after them, the Cowboys begin their trek. Their explanation of their situation is a different interpretation from what the Globetrotters said. The cowboys believe that they have been deemed too big a threat by the other competitors. As such, they are not being set apart by their own choosing but rather intentionally ostracized.

We know that Daron has an opinion on this; ours is that the truth is somewhere in the middle. People have not gone out of their way to work with the affable Jet & Cord, but that dynamic is not one-sided. As likable as the cowboys are, they have proven enigmatic in their interactions with other teams. Whether this is because the show is a competition or not is up for debate. Whatever the explanation, if four teams are working together, the other two teams are at a dramatic disadvantage no matter how good they are at the competition. Rob & Amber were the only previous contestants we are certain could have overcome such an obstacle...unless a plane were turned around on the runway.

At 4:36 a.m., roughly an hour and a half after the first team departs, Gary & Mallory are ready to begin the race. The good news for them is that they will be bunched in moments, negating their disadvantage. The bad news is that they must perform a Speed Bump that will cost them precious time later on during the leg. Of course, the father/daughter duo has such a harmonious dynamic that they seem well suited to handling the obstacle of a Speed Bump.

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