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It’s time for us to say goodbye…to all our company…M..I..C…see ya real soon…K…oops wrong farewell song. Rather it’s time for my final stab at ranking the teams on what can best be described as a less-than-great season of the Amazing Race. More than any season in recent memory, there were more teams to actively root against than root for.

So here’s a final look at how I think the remaining mostly-unsavory teams will fare on their last two legs:

1. Trey & Lexi (Dating): It’s difficult to deny that this team is the team to beat at this point. Yes, it took them until the latter legs to really start excelling. And yes, you could argue that they are only excelling because any team that was stronger fell on hard Race times and got eliminated. But, to paraphrase Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington, “That’s how Amazing Race goes.” Team Longhorn inherited the first place mantle nicely and don’t have much threatening to take it away. Despite their role in Headbangers’ Theftgate and Lexi’s unfortunate morphing into Natalie & Nadiya’s long-lost triplet sister, this couple is about as solid of a team as you can find. They "rarely to never" fight or point fingers when challenges go wrong. This cohesiveness is plenty of reason to think they will bring home the million dollars.



2. Jaymes & James (Best friends/Chippendales dancers): When the season kicked off, I was a fan of these guys. I wrote them off as himbos and grade-A boneheads. Well, 10 legs later, they do routinely exhibit boneheadedness but Team Beefcake has also shown plenty of charm, likability and self-deprecating awareness of their shortcomings. When you throw in the fact that they are genuine nice guys with a soft spot under their chiseled muscles for their families, who they are racing to help support, they are the team I most want to win. But for all their good-natured, fun-loving attitude, I just don’t see them overtaking Trey & Lexi. James-squared (plus a ‘Y’) have had a similar trajectory as the Texans, yet the dating couple has edged out our shirtless performers here more often than not lately. There is much to convince me that such a trend won’t continue, despite me really wanting these fellas to win it all.






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3. Natalie & Nadiya (twin sisters): I have beat you down with my contempt for Team Despicable, so I won’t dwell too much on them or give them too much written real estate. But if you are new to these rankings/recaps, first…Welcome. Second, these twins are the most unlikable and underhanded team ever on the Race. (This is only my opinion, of course.) To recap, they stole money from another team, they annoy everyone from the viewing audience to their competitors to the locals on each leg, and they STOLE money from another team, for which they didn’t receive any penalty/punishment. Okay, I am done. As far as this final set of rankings is concerned, the sisters will likely survive the first leg of this week’s finale despite having a Speed Bump, since they were spared at last week’s nonelimination. For the girls, they only need one stumble to unravel their chances, like last week’s driving issues or their consistent lack of communication. Even with that inevitable obstacle, one more time, they will likely surpass…



4. Josh & Brent (Life partners for 15 years): Team Beekman came alive this past week and showed us the spirit and drive that had been lacking for the entire Race. But I fear it will be "too little, too late." They really clicked on the Spin It windmill Detour and in the face of Josh's bum ankle; they persevered and supported each other. It could be reasonably argued that at last week’s tennis Roadblock, their competitive side won out over being resigned to defeat, thanks to Josh’s injury, when they saw the twins show up and struggling equally as bad with the challenge. But there simply isn’t enough evidence from this season to convince me that they can sustain that momentum. One error is all it takes to derail a team and Team Beekman is the team I predict will be derailed, falling just short of the final three.

The finale (plus a leg) is waiting. Let’s hope this is a strong, satisfying (read: Jaymes & James win) end to a "meh" season.