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The Double U-Turn last week didn’t disappoint... well, other than Art & JJ, who devolved into a pair of bitter Betties (mainly JJ) because Rachel & Dave didn’t use it against Big Brother. I have to agree with the married couple. They felt that it was unnecessary since they had three hour lead on the last place team.

That ridiculous display by Border Patrol likely stemmed from the guys’ own poor decision on the Water Supply over Air Supply Detour. Either way, that re-shapes my power rankings.

• Army of Two Rachel & Dave - Once again last week, Blonde Rachel & Dave proved that whatever marital discord they have going on, it is making them work better as an Amazing Race team. I don’t understand it but for some reason they aren’t hindered on the race by the name-calling, arguing and more name-calling. Distance (while Dave was deployed) may not have made the heart grow fonder but it sure taught them to see something through. Also, I am convinced that Rachel intentionally let Team Justified claim its sole first place finish.



• Team Border Patrol Art & JJ - Two weeks in a row, the former flawless team on the race slipped up and that’s the main reason that I can see for JJ’s irrational lashing out at Army of Two. I said it last time but I don’t think that the married couple was any more wrong for NOT U-Turning a team than Border Patrol (or anyone else) is wrong for using the U-Turn. JJ took this decision as an unforgiveable affront to their alliance, which is at minimum a gross exaggeration. In the face of their bad legs, it’s just a convenient scapegoat for JJ to use in case they are eliminated. Because there is no way these guys’ pride and arrogance will let them admit they were outraced. Any loss will be because of what someone else did. That’s just my opinion but I also think they will still be around to the end.






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• Bopper & Mark - Poor lame Team Justified. That’s lame meaning injured and not a personality assessment. Bopper’s bum knee will be the reason these Kentucky boys will not win the race. While injuries befall Survivor contestants seasonally and cause them to quit the game, I don’t recall being able to pinpoint a specific injury for why a team doesn’t win Amazing Race. Yeah, Mel’s (of Mel & Mike) age got the better of them the second time around but being honest, they weren’t really in contention. On the other hand, Bopper & Mark have moved up the ranks to position them as a threat, if not for the fact that a six-year-old could likely outrun Bopper at this point. They should still make it to the final three, unlike…



• Big Brother’s Brendon & Rachel - Bear with me: The teams I usually root against prosper (i.e. last season’s champs and reprehensible team of Ernie & Cindy). It’s some weird variation on Murphy’s Law. Trust me. Anyway, if I truly believe such a team (i.e. Big Brother) won’t be eliminated, and then maybe they will. Brendon & Bad Rachel have made more enemies on the race than legs completed and plus thousands more at home rooting against them. Too bad it’s all for naught, because they consistently eke by from elimination. That dumb luck is probably what will have them outlast…



• Anti-Big Brother divorcees Vanessa & Ralph - The team I picked to win it all has shown on a few occasions how wrong I was in overestimating their race skills. Without a Speed Bump-saddled team behind them and with their recurring inability to see clues in front of them, I just can’ see them making it past elimination again. The Double U-Turn is the easy thing to blame for theirs and Brendon & Rachel’s placement but even without the extra task; they would have still ended up in fourth and fifth place.

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