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Steve is finally going the right way, and they are at last on their way to the next task. Aly realizes that they are deep in a hole, but says they’re competitors and it’s game time.

Hayley is back to her Hayley ways, and as they pass them, Laura asks if Tyler thinks Hayley is getting on Blair. “I hope so,” says Tyler. It seems impossible for Hayley not to pick at everything Blair does, so it was a pretty good guess on their part.

Matt & Ashley are ready to sled back down, and it is incredibly fast. “I have sand all up in my grill,” says Ashley. They have their clue, so they’re probably going to have first shot at the U-Turn. Looks like it’s actually a double U-Turn, so if Steve & Aly are left untouched, they really may have some hope. We’ll see.

Next on their way to the U-Turn area are Tyler & Laura, so it will be interesting to see who they think is the most competitive team to U-Turn – or if they will U-Turn anyone at all. If they’re smart, they’ll pick Steve & Aly here, though I wouldn’t rule out Hayley & Blair, either. Both are pretty strong in the Race, with only Mike & Rochelle being the real “non-threats,” especially if you can take them to the Final Three.

At the Detour, Jenny & Jelani are choosing “Play” and they’re going to use their Express Pass. They are now making their way to the U-Turn area.

Matt & Ashley do in fact U-Turn Jenny & Jelani, so the two of them will be doing the “Work” task. They’re off to the Pitstop.

Indeed, Tyler & Laura’s choice comes down to either Hayley & Blair or Steve & Aly. Suffice to say that Steve & Aly are screwed.

The Pitstop is located at Goanikontes Oasis, and once again, we should have a real race to the finish between Matt & Ashley and Tyler & Laura. Just for fun, the teams can pick an exotic animal to bring with them to the Pitstop – a donkey (exotic?), an Oryx (better), a camel or a zebra. (This seems like a phenomenally bad idea – if you’re in a footrace, why would you opt to bring a stubborn, possibly grumpy animal with you?)

Hayley & Blair are thrilled not to be U-Turned, and now they’re also headed over to the Pitstop. Mike & Rochelle are doing the “Work” task at the same time as Jenny & Jelani.

Both teams do take an animal with them so maybe it’s not as “just for fun” as described. Tyler & Laura pick a zebra, and at first he’s well behaved, but then he gets a little crazy and starts running. Fortunately, Tyler can keep up, although he does get a little kick from the zebra for his trouble. Still, thanks to Matt & Ashley initially forgetting their gnome, Tyler & Laura land on the mat in first place (for the very first time!). They win a trip for two to Queenstown, New Zealand, which looks lovely. It even includes skydiving, so Laura will be able to experience that after all.

A camel accompanies Hayley & Blair to the Pitstop, and they are checked in as team number three. Even though she picked at him, it was a pretty good leg for this Blind Date duo.

Back at the road-smoothing task, both Mike & Rochelle and Jenny & Jelani have completed the task and are headed to the Pitstop. The Olympians likely won’t even have to complete both of their Detour challenges, because they’re eliminated and seem to be really far behind at this point. On the plus side, they really appreciate the skiing, since that’s the task they choose initially (before realizing they’ll have to do the other one).

Jenny & Jelani choose David the camel, who is really gentle for the most part. They’re checked in as team number four. Mike & Rochelle make the mistake of choosing the zebra, who is already all riled up after his walk with Tyler, and Mike gets kicked in the groin. Needless to say, they switch off to the donkey. He’s also difficult, but at least he’s not kicky. J&J are fourth, and Mike & Rochelle survive another day in fifth. It’s amazing how they can consistently do just enough to stay in the Race (though to be fair, this time there was no question that they were going to beat Steve & Aly by a lot).

Surprisingly, Steve & Aly do wind up performing the “Work” task, but it’s all with a great attitude. If there’s an upcoming All-Stars edition of the Race, they’d be an excellent team to participate. Phil tells them that they are eliminated, and it’s obvious they had already resigned themselves to their fate.

“We just made it so much easier for all of them. You’re welcome,” says Aly. It’s true, because their exit from the race is purely due to their own errors and bad luck.

We’re down to just five teams and headed toward the end of the Race. We figure there’s probably still two more non-elimination legs to go since there are four episodes left (unless there’s a “to be continued” sort of thing, which is equally annoying.

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