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One-by-one the teams finish the Detour with Ethan & Jenna grabbing their stuff but apparently dropping their Detour clue. I don’t think it’s necessary but the slo-mo camera zoom that is shown always means consequences to come. And, yep, they realize this at the cab. Sadly, their ninth place spot just outside of the elimination could be surrendered.

The non-reading, non-cash relinquishing tally of teams at the orphanage is now at seven, with Team Dude as the only ones doing the right thing. We even get a moment of hesitation from Jeremy as it looks like the sign catches his eye but he keeps on going. Oopsie.

The lack of surprise on the faces of the twins and Ma & Pa that they would need to return to the orphanage makes me believe that they encountered Ernie & Cindy and learned about their collective mistake. The former three frontrunners are still en route back to the orphanage.

The benevolent and literate Team Dude is joined by Team Regatta’s Laurence & Zac and showgirls Kaylani & Lisa as the ones to not experience the orphanage setback. Maybe the showgirls are really secretly smart after all…nevermind. I’m gonna say they just got lucky or were tipped off by the adventuresome father/son.

Detour clue in hand, Ethan & Jenna are back on their way to the orphanage for the first time. Too bad they overlook the sign, so it’s second (or third or fourth or fifth) verse, same as the first; they too will be heading back to the orphanage.

With a couple of Phil psych-outs, Team Dude is checked in as number one, followed by Laurence & Zac as team number two and Kaylani & Lisa who are officially team number three. At this point Ron & Bill are the only ones who have been to the orphanage a single time. So, even if they don’t screw up, it’s not looking good from them.

The cavalcade of denied teams arrive with Ernie & Cindy as number four, the twins as number five, Team Test Drive Jeremy & Sandy as number six, Bill & Cathi (aka Ma & Pa) as number seven and siblings Justin & Jennifer as number eight. Man, this is a nightmare of an episode to keep track of with so many errors by the teams. As a side note, I am already tired of Jennifer’s exaggerated eye rolls in interviews when Justin is speaking. You are a team. Try to at least LOOK like you support each other.

Unsurprisingly, Ron & Bill don’t give over all their money. This assures their elimination from the race but they keep a positive attitude. To backtrack a second, we are left with who will be in ninth (and spared) and who will be in tenth (and gone). Sadly, for anyone wishing for a Rob & Amber repeat, Team Survivor doesn’t live up to its nickname and Ethan & Jenna are eliminated. Jenna was so right about the “the more people there are to fall behind” although she probably didn’t want it to be them. I really wish I hadn’t pegged them as winning it all because that may be have been the most wildly incorrect prediction I have ever made for this show. My apologies.

One thing is for sure, the orphanage error definitely prevented this episode from being anti-climatic. So thank you to the producers for that.

Next week, we get a return of an old favorite that cause teams fits: count hundreds of an item on an ancient landmark. My spidey sense is tingling for some extreme meltdowns. Until next episode, have a good week.

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