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Jaymes swings and misses on his first attempt. As he ventures back underground, Lexi has finally found her way out and is good to go. She did it right on the first attempt and Team Longhorn is off to the Pit Stop, which a local says is only two kilometers away.

With his fingers crossed and using the power of positive thinking, Jaymes attempts again to get approval from the mushroom man. The second try was a good one and he now has the clue. But if the Pit Stop is really that close, they will have to settle for second place.

Well, that answers that question. Trey & Lexi were given erroneous directions and the castle they are looking for is about 15 minutes away. So Team Beefcake actually has a shot at getting there first.

The directionally challenged Team Beekman has squandered away their lead and then some, as the twins arrive at the Roadblock before them. Sorry, I spoke too soon. The not-too-bright twins foolishly run immediately into the not-too-bright caves without actually locating their clue first. But Josh & Brent have arrived and are debating which of them will handle the Roadblock. This time it will be Brent.

The twins fix their misstep and Natalie is on Roadblock duty for them.

The sprint to the Pit Stop is under way and has Jaymes & James and Trey & Lexi searching the massive castle grounds for Phil. The first ones on the mat and the winners of a new pair of SUVs is…Team Beefcake. James (brown hair) is ecstatic because he planned to give the new car to his mother, who is in desperate need of transportation. I am thrilled, too, because I still have a team to root for to win the money. That puts Trey & Lexi as team number two.

In the caves, Natalie keeps her head about her while Brent is flustered and getting lost in the dark. Natalie emerges first from the cave and gets her clue. It’s looking bleak again for the Beekmans.

As they drive off, Brent finally finds his way out and gets the clue. Josh estimates that the girls are about ten minutes ahead of them, but with directions and both of these teams, it is still up in the air. And that is what is happening…to both of them. The girls are heading in the wrong direction and the guys are detoured by construction.

Cue the dramatic editing and slo-mo cuts…and the last of the teams to make it to the finals is Team Beekman. YEEEEAAAAHHHH!!!!! The twins are eliminated. In their final interview, the girls actually say something introspective. They feel they will take away from the race that they should channel their potential into something positive and not all the craziness. Yet, they can’t even keep a straight face when they offer the standard, “we have each other, which is worth more than a million dollars” line. This is then followed by an eye roll and the second time they say something I agree with… “We suck.” They say it with sarcasm but I choose to take it at face value.

With only non-Despicable teams remaining, I feel so much better about the finale. The Beekmans continue to be the cockroaches of the season, proving again and again that you don’t need to be first, just not last. But I don’t think that strategy will be as effective on the last leg when you HAVE to be first.

Team Beefcake remains the one I am rooting for, just to prove that nice guys can finish first. And Team Longhorn is probably the most deserving from an ability perspective but all three have survived up to this point because of something they have done right.

So, come back tomorrow to see how it all ends.

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