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Sayonara, Japan, and HELLO, U.S. of A. With 100% fewer Afghanimals on the Race, the last three teams of Jason & Amy, Tim & Marie and Travis & Nicole are heading to Alaska and the finish line. Alaskan residents, you have been officially warned of the ensuing onslaught of Marie.

Marie astutely (yet crassly) notes that heading into the last leg that the other two teams need to “get out of each other’s butts” if they want to win. She is such a lady but it is true that this formidable alliance needs to be dissolved unless Jason & Amy want to continue their second place streak.

Of course, everyone confidently says they have this Race in the bag but really do any of you expect Travis & Nicole to return to their early Race glory days? Based upon his comments, Travis doesn’t. He offers up what is likely the first of many references to Nicole’s, shall we say, lackluster performance the last few legs.

The exes leave first and we get a glimpse into just how this relationship works. Before the Race, they agreed and signed a contract that any prizes would be split 60/40, including the million dollars, with Marie getting the 60%. What the WHAT?!? Please, oh, please let Phil discuss this at the finish line, whether they win or lose. This kinda makes me want to root for them just to see Tim’s humiliation that he volunteered $100,000 for a woman who doesn’t even like him.

After Jason & Amy leave in their familiar second place, Nicole explains that they are agreed to no more helping one another. The final three was their goal as an alliance and they made it. In her pre-leg interview, Amy explains that she recognizes that the doctors gained more from their alliance than she and Jason did. But that means they will now face a team in the final that the daters wholly feel they can beat in the end. This is a very smart strategy. Good work, guys.

The teams are into their clues and heading to Juneau. You know…the capital of Alaska. (Sorry for the bad pun.) Once they land, they must take a cab to a dock to board a marked speed boat.

Having learned their lesson on the first season with a stranded Team Guido in the Alaskan wilderness, all three teams are traveling on the same plane. Any separation on this leg will have to result from a flubbed task. (Looking at you, Nicole.)

Being back on American soil hasn’t slowed the teams as they race to the cab stand. Cue the sad trombone because there is only one cab out there and it is waiting on another customer. Jason gets to him first and asks for him to call another for him and Amy. Still smarting from Marie’s earlier cab poaching, Jason tells the driver to give the new cab his name only for pick up.

As it pulls up, Marie does try to get in but Jason confirms the name of the person he is there to pick up. Sorry, Marie. Then in a season first, Nicole actually outruns Marie to the next cab that arrives. Bad start for Pinkie.

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